Ahead of NATO's 36th Leaders Summit to be held today, the heads of state and government of allied countries landed one after another in Ankara. The first to arrive in the capital as part of the summit was NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte the day before, while U.S. President Donald Trump, who was greeted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and other leaders attending the summit began arriving in Ankara.
Members of the Presidential Cabinet separately greeted the heads of state and government. In addition to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, leaders representing South Korea, Ukraine, North Macedonia, Estonia, Montenegro, Canada, Latvia, Finland, the Netherlands, Croatia, Czechia, Bulgaria, Sweden, Albania, Iceland, Luxembourg, Hungary, Denmark, Slovenia, Slovakia, Lithuania, Romania, Poland, Belgium, Norway and Greece at the summit also landed in Ankara. By evening, the number of leaders arriving in Ankara reached 30.
Greeting with Ottoman Military Band Marches
President Erdoğan and his wife Emine Erdoğan hosted a reception and official dinner at the Presidential Complex in honor of the heads of state and government and their spouses who came to Ankara for the NATO Summit. The leaders arrived in official vehicles at the ceremonial welcome area of the Presidential Complex. The guests walked up the stairs accompanied by marches played by the mehter team.
The leaders, greeted one by one by President Erdoğan and Emine Erdoğan, took a family photo and then moved to the hall where the official dinner was held. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was the first to arrive at the reception, while the last guest was U.S. President Trump. The Erdoğans had a warm conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron. As President Erdoğan proceeded to the dining hall with U.S. President Trump, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz greeted the other heads of state and government. The reception at the Complex witnessed warm dialogue and diplomatic contacts among the leaders.
NATO's Summit Assessment
NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska stated that the NATO Summit is expected to be a "turning point" for the alliance, and all allies must do their part. Shekerinska spoke at a program held as part of the "NATO Summit Dialogues" event in Ankara.
Shekerinska noted that they expect the summit to be a turning point for the alliance, saying, "The summit held in The Hague last year was not easy, because we had to commit to much stronger investments and spending in our defense area. We made bold and historic decisions, but now in Ankara, we will show the even more important part. That is, we will show how we will turn these words and commitments into concrete results, how we will fulfill the commitments we made."
Shekerinska stated that the summit would be about "a change in mindset," and that the aim is to strengthen collective defense and ensure a stronger Europe within a stronger alliance in line with the "NATO 3.0" vision.
