NATO dialogue event highlights alliance unity, NATO 3.0 ahead of Ankara summit

Security experts, diplomats and former officials gathered in Ankara on Tuesday for the opening session of the NATO Summit Dialogues, an event organized ahead of the NATO leaders' summit to discuss the alliance's future security agenda.

Hosted by the Turkish Industry and Business Association, the program was jointly organized by the Turkish Atlantic Council and the Hariciye Foreign Policy and Security Research Center.

Opening remarks were delivered by Türkiye's former permanent representative to NATO and ATA Türkiye President Mehmet Fatih Ceylan, ATA President Theodossios Georgiou, and ATA Türkiye Secretary General Emir Abbas Gürbüz.

Ceylan described the NATO Summit Dialogues as an important platform for assessing the alliance's future, stressing that strengthening Europe's defense industry and deepening cooperation among allies would be critical.

"At a time when Euro-Atlantic security is under immense pressure due to external threats from the east and south, as well as internal divisions across the Atlantic, the course of NATO 3.0 will be determined by allied leaders today and tomorrow," he said.

Georgiou argued that military capabilities alone would not determine NATO's future, saying trust among allies, confidence in democratic institutions and public support would be equally strategic.

He added that security today extends beyond governments to include energy, the economy, critical infrastructure, technology and the protection of democratic life.

"Transatlantic relations are not weakening. On the contrary, they are becoming more balanced and resilient, making the alliance better prepared for the strategic challenges of the coming decades," Georgiou said, adding that decisions taken at the summit would have consequences far beyond the meeting itself.

Gurbuz said the world is once again entering a period marked by competition over critical raw materials, rearmament and growing connectivity challenges, while advances in artificial intelligence and technology continue to create new opportunities.

Unlike the early 20th century, however, he said today's international environment is increasingly shaped by cooperation around shared values rather than fragile alliances.

Ahead of panel discussions and roundtable meetings, Tacan Ildem, president of the Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies, and Ambassador Mehmet Burcin Gonenli also addressed participants.

Ildem said disagreements among NATO allies were not new but emphasized that the alliance has consistently demonstrated unity and solidarity despite differences.

He said the leaders' family photo at the 36th NATO Summit in Ankara would symbolize that unity and reaffirm allies' commitment to Article 5 collective defense while highlighting the importance of strengthening NATO's European pillar, burden-sharing, continued support for Ukraine and the Defense Industry Forum.

Gonenli noted that the summit would mark the second time Türkiye has hosted a NATO leaders' meeting since joining the alliance in 1952, describing it as a reflection of the country's diplomatic influence and credibility among allies.

He said one of the summit's key outcomes would be the unveiling of the NATO 3.0 vision, which he said would see the alliance's center of gravity gradually shift toward Europe.

He also stressed that financial resources should be directed toward capability development in line with NATO's military requirements and highlighted the significance of the Defense Industry Forum, the largest industrial event in the alliance's history.

The opening session was followed by panel discussions and roundtable meetings focusing on NATO's future security priorities.