Speaking at the NATO Summit International Press Conference, President Erdoğan said, "This historic summit, which we hosted at a time when the Euro-Atlantic security is being tested, has been organised in such a way as to shape our shared future. In Ankara, we have laid the groundwork for a stronger NATO whereby the European allies will assume greater responsibility within the Alliance and our military capabilities will be strengthened through fair burden sharing.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered remarks during the International Press Conference following the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit at the Presidential Complex.
“We have successfully completed the NATO Summit, which our country has hosted for the second time following a 22-year hiatus and which our capital city has hosted for the first time. This historic summit, which we hosted at a time when Euro-Atlantic security is being tested, has been organized in such a way as to shape our shared future. In Ankara, we have laid the groundwork for a stronger NATO whereby the European allies will assume greater responsibility within the Alliance and our military capabilities will be strengthened through fair burden sharing. I would like to take this opportunity to note that we as Türkiye couldn’t benefit from the peace dividends of the post-Cold War period as much as our European friends. Numerous crises and conflicts unfolded in our region. We fought against threats surrounding us, particularly terrorism. There were times when we were left alone and subjected to injustice. Therefore, we had to take matters into our own hands. Today, however, compared with many allies, we are well advanced in terms of defense spending, military capabilities, and our defense industry that underpins them,” President Erdoğan said.
