NATO chief visits Türkiye with high praise, defense pledge

A few months before a critical NATO summit, the alliance’s secretary-general, Mark Rutte, arrived in Ankara on Tuesday.

Rutte began his visit with a meeting with Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, before proceeding with a visit to Aselsan, the country’s leading defense company, on Thursday. He later held talks with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and was received by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Rutte had nothing but pleasant words for Türkiye in terms of defense. He said the bloc’s members “can learn a lot” from Türkiye’s defense industry revolution in remarks to journalists while visiting Aselsan.

The NATO chief had no scheduled news conference, but media outlets reported that he was set to discuss several pressing issues with the Turkish officials. Among them were the invitation of the Gulf countries to July’s NATO summit in Ankara and bolstering regional cooperation, to enhance the bloc’s clout. The invitation to the Gulf comes after several countries in the region suffered from attacks by Iran in response to U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. Another issue on the table was attendance at the summit by U.S. President Donald Trump, whose remarks on the alliance marked a major fallout between his country and the alliance it led. Rutte’s meeting will also focus on Türkiye’s acquisition of F-35 fighter jets from the U.S., long stalled under the previous U.S. administration. Additionally, Rutte’s talks will concentrate on the establishment of a multinational structure led by France and the United Kingdom for the security of the Strait of Hormuz and Türkiye’s likely participation in the structure.

Rutte will also discuss the dispute between Türkiye and Greece, especially on maritime jurisdiction, the Cyprus question and improving the role of Turkish defense companies in Europe’s security architecture, media outlets reported on Tuesday.

Speaking at the headquarters of Aselsan, Rutte said there is “a lot” the sector can learn from what the country has achieved, pointing to its rapid advances in recent years. He stressed that accelerating defense industrial production alongside innovation is a “top priority” for NATO, adding that both issues will be central at the alliance’s summit in July.

He said NATO allies must “do better” and “do more,” underlining that increased defense spending alone would not ensure security without boosting output of key capabilities such as air defense systems, drones, ammunition, radars and space technologies. “Of course, we will celebrate that we are able collectively to increase the defense spending, but defense industrial production will be extremely important, because we have to do better, we have to do more, and we can learn a lot from what Türkiye is doing here,” he said.

Describing the global security environment as increasingly volatile, he pointed to a wide range of threats “from the Arctic to the Mediterranean, from outer space to the seabed,” including missile and drone attacks as well as sophisticated cyber threats.

He cited Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, China’s military modernization and nuclear expansion, and Iran’s activities in the region “as key sources of instability,” noting that Türkiye is directly affected by some of these risks.

Rutte also said NATO had recently intercepted ballistic missiles heading toward Türkiye from Iran on four separate occasions, underscoring the alliance’s readiness to defend all its members.

Reiterating his earlier remarks, he said Türkiye has gone through a “defense industrial revolution,” adding that Aselsan is “at the forefront” of these developments. He urged the defense firm to “produce and innovate even more and faster.”

He emphasized the role of the defense industry in ensuring collective security, saying that protecting “1 billion people across Europe and North America” cannot be achieved by militaries alone. It also requires strong industrial capacity, he said. Rutte highlighted growing defense cooperation across the alliance, noting that Turkish firms are expanding their footprint abroad, including exports and operations in several European countries, and called for continued collaboration “from Alaska to Ankara.”

“Just recently, as you know, Aselsan sold advanced electronic warfare systems to Poland. You have started operations in Albania and Romania, and you have equipped a vessel for the Croatian Navy,” Rutte said. He also drew attention to the role of young engineers, noting that the average age at Aselsan is around 33 – and possibly even lower. “So I’m glad to address you, the young engineers who make all of this possible,” he added.

Aselsan, headquartered in the Turkish capital Ankara, was founded in 1975 and has grown to be one of the country’s largest defense firms, ranking among the top 50 in its field worldwide. The defense giant became the first Turkish company to reach a $30 billion market value in January 2026.

DAILYSABAH