NATO Secretary General visits Türkiye in preparation for Ankara Summit, underlines importance of defence industry

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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Ankara, Türkiye (21-22 April 2026) to engage with national leadership and visit an ASELSAN Technology Base. In his meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Mr Rutte highlighted Türkiye’s contribution to the Alliance and discussed preparations for the upcoming Summit in Ankara.

Speaking with young engineers at the technology base, the Secretary General thanked them for their work, underscoring that in today’s more dangerous world, we need strong defences to protect our security. He highlighted Türkiye’s pivotal role in the Alliance, saying “Türkiye has gone through a defence industrial revolution.” In order to continue keeping NATO’s citizens safe, Mr Rutte emphasised the importance of defence industrial cooperation that Allies “continue to produce together, to innovate together, and to buy from each other.” These efforts are crucial to ensuring collective security and demonstrating that Allies are committed to decisions made at the Summit in The Hague, said the Secretary General. He concluded by saying that “transatlantic industrial cooperation comes with great benefits for your businesses, for your economy, and first of all, for your and therefore for our collective security.”

During his visit, the Secretary General also met with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Defence Minister Yaşar Güler.