NATO Parliamentary Assembly summit in Istanbul gathers member‑state parliamentary leaders

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA) held a two‑day summit in Istanbul, Turkey on 28‑29 June 2026, ahead of the NATO heads‑of‑state summit scheduled for 7‑8 July in Ankara. Speakers included North Macedonia’s Assembly President Afërim Gashi, who urged the alliance to stay strong, agile and ready for rapid response, reaffirmed the commitment to invest 5 % of GDP in defence, and stressed the strategic importance of the Western Balkans. The Bulgarian parliamentary delegation, led by Speaker of the National Assembly Michaela Dotsova, attended the Istanbul PA meeting, presenting a statement on Bulgaria’s role in NATO, its commitment to collective defence and ongoing modernisation of its armed forces. Dotsova highlighted bilateral parliamentary dialogue with Turkey’s Grand National Assembly President Numan Kurtulmuş and announced plans for a friendship group with Turkey in the Bulgarian parliament. Delegates from 32 NATO member states discussed key issues of Euro‑Atlantic security and defence for 2026, with the Istanbul forum serving as a precursor to the Ankara summit.