Turkey's Erdogan bolsters Ankara's NATO influence at summit

In early July, NATO leaders gathered in Ankara, where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emerged as the summit’s clear winner. Analysts noted that Turkey’s strategic location and its ability to engage with Washington, Brussels, Moscow and key Middle‑Eastern capitals have turned Ankara into an indispensable regional power.

While the alliance shows political divergences—highlighted by remarks such as French President Emmanuel Macron’s description of NATO as "brain‑dead"—its military integration remains robust, with increased defence spending and deeper industrial cooperation between Turkey, European states and Canada. The EU continues to rely on Turkey for political, diplomatic, military and economic partnership despite concerns over authoritarian trends in Ankara.

The summit underscored Turkey’s shift from a peripheral NATO member to a technology producer and joint‑defence‑industry partner, reinforcing its leverage in Euro‑Mediterranean and Middle‑Eastern security calculations.