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Create an account Reset password Already have an account? Log in From now on you can download videos from our website If you would also like to subscribe to the newsletter and receive our latest updates, click on the button below. Enter the email address you registered with and we will send you a code to reset your password. The password must be at least 12 characters long, no spaces, include upper/lowercase letters,...
Create an account Reset password Already have an account? Log in From now on you can download videos from our website If you would also like to subscribe to the newsletter and receive our latest updates, click on the button below. Enter the email address you registered with and we will send you a code to reset your password. The password must be at least 12 characters long, no spaces, include upper/lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Click the button to return to the page you were on and log in with your new password. 07 July 2026 1 MIN READ (As prepared) Thank you for that introduction, President Georgiou and President Ceylan, Dear Theodossis and Mehmet. And thanks to the Turkish Atlantic Council and Hariciye for organizing this event, in parallel with the NATO Summit. You will have the opportunity to consider how our great transatlantic Alliance can continue to make progress. In a world where we are threatened by Russia’s reckless behaviour and volatility in the South, it is essential to have a community like this thinking about the future of the Alliance, Enhanced deterrence and defence, Defence industrial collaboration, Europe’s stronger role within a stronger NATO, NATO’s partnerships, and our collective resilience. These are some of the important issues you’re discussing today. Within the Euro-Atlantic community, we need events like this. We need discussion and debate. This is where ideas circulate, opinions are exchanged, and new and innovative proposals take shape. This is refreshing. It’s inspiring. Our leaders rely on audiences like you to challenge them, inform them, and advise them. I count on your continuous support and engagement in the months to come, as we carry forward the Summit outcomes. I expect this Summit to be a landmark in the history of our Alliance. Last year in The Hague, we took bold, historic decisions. Today and tomorrow, here in Ankara, we will show how we are delivering on them. This Summit will also be about a mindset shift about the future of NATO and how we deliver on our collective defence. We are going to breathe life into the concept of NATO 3.0: a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO. This is not a slogan. We all agree that for credible deterrence and defence, we need all Allies to pull their weight. And this is what is happening. Allies are answering this call. Europe and Canada are stepping up, taking greater responsibility for their defence, and rebalancing our shared security for the better. We see this in concrete terms. More money has already been invested in defence and we are making important progress towards the 5% commitment we made last year. In 2025 alone, European Allies and Canada increased defence investment by 139 billion US dollars. That’s an increase of almost 20% compared to the previous year. And just one year into a 10-year project that is the Hague Defence Investment Plan. This is the way forward. An upward trend towards a fairer and more capable Alliance. We are reversing the tide, after years of underinvestment. Allies are spending more on core military requirements – troops, equipment, weapons – but also on our collective resilience. Roads, railways, ports. Systems to protect our societies against cyber-attacks and other threats. And we are investing in our defence industrial base. Because to keep our 1 billion people safe, we sure need the money. But, most importantly, we need warfighting capabilities. Our second priority at this Summit will be to boost transatlantic defence industrial production. Air incursions, drone incidents, and missile interceptions, including here in Türkiye, remind us of the importance of strong air defence. Jets, interceptors, drones, but also the latest anti-drone technology. And much more. Our stockpiles need to be replenished. And we need this to happen fast. I just spoke about Allies spending more money in defence. Cash is flowing. And much more will follow. We must put the cash to work. We need industry to rapidly produce capabilities and keep up with the increased demand for weapons and equipment. No single Ally is able to produce all of what we need to address the pressing challenges we face. We need this effort to be transatlantic. In Europe and North-America we have the world’s leading defence companies. Just look at Türkiye’s defence industrial base. We have all we need to accelerate production, integrate technological innovation, and expand supply chains. I’m coming straight from the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum, where contracts were signed among Allied companies worth tens of billions of dollars. It was the biggest industry forum we’ve ever done. It demonstrated how Allies and industry are working together to ramp up our production. We gathered defence industry executives from across the Alliance and from partner countries. We announced many initiatives that Allies and partners are launching together to boost capability production and innovation. It was a perfect demonstration of transatlantic defence cooperation. A whole range of capabilities to keep our deterrence and defence credible, and our Alliance strong. We must give to our militaries what they need to keep us safe. Our industry needs to continue working hard to integrate the latest technological innovations into our defence systems. Because there is no future without innovation. We also demonstrated how closely we are working with our partners, especially the European Union, the Indo-Pacific countries, and Ukraine to find synergies and leverage opportunities. Amongst our partners, Ukraine occupies a special place. Ukraine is a nation at war, yet it is also a security provider. Our companies are increasing cooperation with and investments in the Ukrainian defence industry. They are signing contracts to ramp up production of equipment and technologies. We are learning valuable lessons from the Ukrainian battlefield. Investing in Ukraine means investing in their security, and in ours too. But Ukraine also needs our continued support. This will be our third priority at the Summit. Ukraine has a window of opportunity and is changing the dynamics on the battlefield. Russia, for the first time, is faced with the reality of war. This has an impact on public opinion. Nevertheless, Russia’s aggression is not over. We must increase our pressure on Russia so Putin comes to the negotiating table. NATO will continue to stand with Ukraine. President Zelenskyy will join us at the Summit. We will re-affirm our commitment to Ukraine’s security and freedom. It will be a message to Ukraine. But also a message to Russia. As the Secretary General said: we are not going anywhere. I know that all these topics and more are on your agenda today, and tomorrow. I also know that your work will not end after the lights will go off at the NATO Summit. I hope you have very fruitful and open discussions. We need innovative and bold ideas to keep the Alliance strong and prepared for the challenges that await. Good luck with this important task! Link was copied to clipboard
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