ISTANBUL – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday urged NATO allies to build an “unconditional” security and defence network stretching “from Texas to Ankara,” calling for Turkey to be fully included in European defence initiatives and warning that excluding Ankara’s military capabilities for “narrow political interests” would benefit no one.
Speaking at the NATO Parliamentary Summit at Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace ahead of the alliance’s leaders’ meeting in Ankara next month, Erdogan said the Euro-Atlantic security architecture faces a historic turning point as wars, terrorism, migration and geopolitical instability reshaped the global order.
“The threats of war, crisis, terrorism and irregular migration occurring particularly along our alliance’s eastern and southeastern borders make it necessary for us to reshape our understanding of security,” Erdogan told parliamentarians from NATO member states.
He said the alliance was entering an era defined by growing uncertainty.
“As old patterns and old assumptions collapse one by one, it is not yet clear what will replace them, what will take their place. We find ourselves in the very middle of a period of uncertainty in which tension is rising instead of stability, chaos instead of order, predictability is decreasing, and no one can foresee what tomorrow morning will bring,” he said.
Erdogan argued that traditional concepts used to explain international politics had become obsolete.
“I want to particularly underline this point: the existing definitions describing the global system and politics have largely lost their meaning in today’s world,” he said.
“The massacres we have recently witnessed, especially in Gaza and Lebanon, have opened deep wounds in humanity’s conscience while also destroying the credibility of international institutions and theories. I don’t think it’s possible to explain the current situation with old concepts without recognising this dimension of the new era.”
Turkey expects the July 7-8 NATO summit in Ankara to reinforce alliance unity and address the security concerns of all members, Erdogan said, adding that leaders would discuss conflicts in Ukraine, Iran and Gaza.
“Our main expectation from the summit is to achieve results that guard allies’ national security sensitivities, strengthen the spirit of alliance solidarity and unity,” he said.
The Turkish president renewed Ankara’s longstanding demand to be included in European Union defence and security initiatives, arguing that Turkey’s military strength and defence industry were indispensable to Europe’s security.
“We expect your close attention and support, as parliamentarians, regarding Türkiye’s inclusion in the defence and security initiatives announced by the European Union,” he said.
“Excluding the capacity Turkey possesses in the field of defence due to narrow political interests benefits no one. At this point, we must build an alliance-wide security and defence network stretching from Texas to Ankara, with no ifs or buts.”
Erdogan also called on NATO members to remove restrictions on defence trade.
“If we want to combat the tests we are facing, we must lift restrictions on defence industry trade while carrying out burden sharing in a balanced and fair manner,” he said, adding that Turkey was meeting the alliance’s defence spending commitments.
Turkey has repeatedly criticised defence export restrictions imposed by some Western allies over policy differences and Ankara’s ties with Russia, arguing that such measures undermine alliance solidarity.
Erdogan said Turkey had become one of NATO’s leading contributors over more than seven decades of membership.
“With a land border exceeding 1,800 kilometres with crisis regions, Türkiye, with its strong army, modern military capabilities and developed defence industry, has been among the leading allies contributing to NATO’s security for more than 70 years,” he said.
He said Ankara had increased defence spending in line with commitments made at NATO’s Hague summit and now ranked among the alliance’s five largest contributors to NATO missions and operations.
“Despite our contributions, it is also a fact that the indispensable benefits Türkiye provides to European security are sometimes overlooked,” he added.
Erdogan said the Ankara summit would place particular emphasis on defence industrial cooperation, with a dedicated NATO Defence Industry Forum showcasing Turkey’s military technologies.
“Another distinguishing feature of our Ankara Summit will be its emphasis on defence industry cooperation. At the NATO Defence Industry Forum we will organize as part of the summit, we will showcase our advanced products while also addressing measures to make this cooperation much more effective,” he said.
“Our allies and guests will see the significant progress Türkiye has made in the field of defence industry in a short period of time.”
Turning to regional crises, Erdogan said NATO’s 360-degree security approach required the alliance to consider developments from Ukraine to the Gulf and the Middle East.
He said Turkey would continue working with Pakistan, Qatar and other partners to help secure a lasting settlement following the ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
Erdogan also voiced concern over Israeli military action in Lebanon.
“We are closely monitoring attacks targeting Lebanon that aim to undermine the agreement that has brought relief to the region and the world,” he said.
“We expect your support in ensuring that the genocidal network, which cannot tolerate stability in our region and even views it as a threat to its own security, is not given the opportunity for provocations.”
On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Erdogan said the Palestinian issue remained at the core of instability across the Middle East.
“Unfortunately, lasting peace cannot be achieved in our region until the occupation ends, until Israel’s ever-increasing land seizures end,” he said.
“The path to lasting peace is the two-state solution. An independent, sovereign Palestinian state with territorial integrity, within the 1967 borders, must be established without question. Significant responsibilities fall to you, the parliamentarians, in this process.”
Erdogan said Turkey’s geography, history and diplomatic reach positioned it to contribute to peace efforts across a region stretching from Europe and the Balkans to Asia and Africa, adding that Ankara intended to use that potential “to the fullest extent for regional and world peace.”