In 2026, the NATO summit will be held in the Turkish capital. The meeting of the leaders of the Alliance member states is scheduled for July 7-8 at the presidential complex in the Beştepe district of Ankara.
This was reported by the NATO website.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte thanked Turkey for its support, emphasizing that it has remained a reliable ally for more than 70 years and has made a significant contribution to common security.
According to Rutte, at the next summit, leaders will continue to strengthen the Alliance, making it «stronger and ready to respond to critical challenges.» This will be the second such event in Turkey: the first NATO summit was held in Istanbul in 2004. Then the participants welcomed the accession of seven new states and discussed the expansion of the mission in Afghanistan and the withdrawal of troops from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
As a reminder, the previous NATO summit was held on June 24-25 in The Hague. Leaders agreed to allocate 5% of GDP annually for defense needs and security-related spending.