The Directorate of Communications organised a panel in Washington titled "The Turkish American Alliance at the Heart of NATO’s New Geopolitics" in cooperation with the SETA Foundation.
Ahead of the Extraordinary Summit of NATO Heads of State and Government scheduled to take place in Ankara on 7–8 July 2026, the Directorate of Communications has been organising NATO-themed events in major capitals worldwide. The first event in this series of programmes, organised in cooperation with think tanks in the host countries, was held in Madrid, the capital of Spain, on 3–4 March 2026; the second in Paris, the capital of France, on 11 March 2026; the third in London on 18–19 March 2026; and the fourth in Warsaw on 11 May 2026.
The fifth leg of the programme series was held in Washington on 14 May 2026 in cooperation with the SETA Foundation at Washington DC. The panel, titled “The Turkish American Alliance at the Heart of NATO’s New Geopolitics,” was moderated by Dr Kadir Üstün, Coordinator of SETA Washington D.C. The speakers included Ambassador Prof Çağrı Erhan, Chief Advisor to the President and Vice Chair of the Presidential Security and Foreign Policies Council; Rich Outzen, former adviser at the U.S. Department of State, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council in Türkiye, and retired colonel, geopolitical analyst and consultant; Ambassador James Jeffrey, former U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy; and Dr Roger Kangas, Board Member of the Caspian Policy Center.
Addressing participants via a video message at the opening of the panel session, Head of Communications Burhanettin Duran emphasised that Türkiye had faced numerous challenges and difficulties throughout its 74-year journey within NATO, and that these tests had been overcome each time through reciprocal commitment. He underlined Türkiye’s active contribution to NATO missions, stating that, with its geostrategic position, military capacity, and deterrence capabilities, the country stands as an indispensable central ally and a geopolitical balancing actor within NATO’s collective defence architecture.
NATO’s transformation over the years was also addressed by Head of Communications Duran, who stated that NATO aims to build a more resilient, more technologically advanced, and more politically engaged Alliance going forward. He also emphasised that Türkiye’s hosting of the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit on 7–8 July 2026 is highly significant in reflecting both the spirit of the alliance and Türkiye’s weight within the Alliance.
Following the video message, the panel session began. Moderator Dr Üstün stated that Turkish-American relations are critical for the future of NATO. After emphasising the importance of the panel, which would address Turkish-American relations within the context of NATO, he introduced the speakers and gave the floor to Ambassador Prof Erhan.
In the continuation of his remarks, Prof Erhan noted that when Türkiye applied for NATO membership, many European NATO members opposed its accession, whereas the United States supported Türkiye’s membership after it sent troops to the Korean War in June 1950. Prof Erhan stated that NATO is not merely a defence organisation but a defence and security organisation and that by transforming itself, NATO has become the world’s most successful security alliance since the Second World War. Expressing his belief that the Ankara Summit would make highly positive contributions to the future of Turkish-American relations, Prof Erhan commented, "With this NATO Summit, we will witness the first steps toward a bright future ahead."
One of the panel speakers, former U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Jeffrey, stated that Türkiye, together with the United States, has played a decisive role in all major security issues over the past several years – from Ukraine to the Caucasus and from the Black Sea to the Balkans and the Middle East. He emphasised that Türkiye has contributed at least as much as the United States to safeguarding NATO’s security sphere.
Speaking later in the panel, Kangas said that the Ankara Summit could help NATO refocus on its core capabilities related to its global role. Kangas stated that Türkiye may need to act as a bridge between allies with differing views, saying, ''Türkiye may have to assume the role of the responsible adult in the room and bring these conflicting parties together.''
Taking the floor as the final speaker of the panel, Outzen highlighted the cooperation between the United States and Türkiye in the field of the defence industry. Referring to cooperation in the fields of maritime affairs and shipbuilding, unmanned aerial vehicles, and artificial intelligence, Outzen said, ''The new paradigm is this: Türkiye produces goods of such high quality that U.S. companies are willing to purchase them.''
Outzen emphasised that the two countries share a capability possessed by very few NATO allies, stating, ''The combination of combat experience, industrial capacity, and the engineering capability to translate these into the field is something extremely difficult to achieve.'' Describing the United States and Türkiye as "the engines of real hard-power deterrence and capability for the Alliance", Outzen stated that there is still significant room for progress in defence industry cooperation between the two countries.
Speaking as a participant in the panel, Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Washington, Sedat Önal, stated that two factors are of great importance for maintaining NATO’s existence and relevance. He stated that the first is the Alliance’s ability to preserve unity, solidarity, and internal cohesion, and the second is its ability to adapt to a constantly changing and evolving geostrategic environment.
Referring to the importance of the Ankara Summit, Önal stated, "The summit carries significant weight in conveying a message of unity and solidarity, and it will also serve as a valuable opportunity to develop common approaches and foster convergence on how to address issues ranging from Iran to Ukraine, from the Middle East to other regional matters.''
As part of the event, a meeting was also held with members of the press at the ambassador's residence, hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Washington. At the meeting attended by Ambassador Prof Çağrı Erhan and Ambassador Sedat Önal, questions from members of the press regarding Türkiye’s approach to NATO and recent international developments were addressed.
