As Ankara prepares to host the 36th NATO Summit at the Presidential Complex on Jul 7-8, the alliance's Secretary General Mark Rutte held a press conference today at the Presidential Complex upon arriving in Turkey. After addressing the press, Rutte met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
During the conference, Rutte emphasized that the alliance would maintain a deterrent defense posture, noting that NATO's eastern flank, particularly the Baltic and Arctic regions, had been strengthened, while Ukraine also continued to be protected.
Rutte pointed out that this demonstrates a genuine shift in mindset, meaning both a stronger Europe and a stronger NATO.
Rutte praised the advancements in Turkey’s defense industry over the last decade and its role in the alliance, saying, "Your leadership in NATO is important. Your place on the map is important. It is highly significant that [the summit] is being held here in Ankara."
Ankara under lockdown
Meanwhile, the capital has been placed under a virtual lockdown for days.
The governor's office imposed a ban on all public events between Jun 28 and Jul 10. Combined with a six-day administrative leave granted to public personnel, these measures have effectively closed the city center to civilian life.
Human rights defenders and the opposition continue to protest the suppression of civil demonstrations and the detention of more than 200 activists, lawyers, and journalists under the guise of "preventive detention."
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Against the backdrop of this tension reflecting on the streets and in politics, the first steps of a new military transformation dubbed "NATO 3.0" will be planned at the table in the Presidential Complex, a move set to reshape the global system and regional balances.
What is NATO 3.0?
NATO categorizes its founding during the Cold War era as "1.0," and its expansion and restructuring following the dissolution of the USSR as "2.0." NATO 3.0 represents a new era in which the US shifts its focus toward China, forcing Europe to shoulder its own defense burden. US President Donald Trump wants allies to gradually increase their defense spending from 2% to 5% of their gross domestic product. So far, only 17 of the 32 allies have passed the 2% threshold.
What will Turkey’s role be?
Ankara aims to transition from being a mere "outpost" protecting the alliance's southern flank to becoming the main logistics and production base for NATO 3.0 in both the Black Sea and Middle East basins. Consequently, defense companies like ASELSAN are coming to the fore. In fact, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasized this in a statement on Jul 1 regarding the summit, saying, "Our most important topic in Ankara is increasing defense industry production."
'Europeans are expected to shoulder most of the burden'
Political scientist and analyst Prof. Dr. Soli Özel evaluated the 36th NATO Summit for bianet. According to Özel, "the primary goal of this summit is to prevent the de-Americanization of NATO."
Noting that there are "very serious" rifts between the US and its European allies, Özel said, "The NATO Secretary General [Mark Rutte], at the risk of facing criticism, tried to cover up these rifts by appeasing Trump. A new European security architecture is taking shape."
Özel pointed out that European countries want to keep the US within the European security system:
What is meant by NATO 3.0 is that Europeans assume responsibility for European security by increasing their spending and defense expenditures. For this reason, the NATO 1.0 and NATO 2.0 versions were defined by the absolute weight of America. From now on, Europeans are expected to shoulder most of the burden.
America has already been saying for 16 years that it has to deal more with other continents, and particularly with China. The profile of the northern countries within NATO itself is rising further. In this period, Turkey will come to the fore due to the Straits and being a neighbor of Russia in the Black Sea. This is why the NATO 3.0 model is being discussed. The Ankara summit will be the beginning of this.
"NATO would have no function in an Iran war. It is already not within its mission description," Özel said, noting, however, that the Gulf countries and the new security system to be established in the region are matters of concern for NATO members as well.
Will Turkey integrate into Europe’s defense system?
Soli Özel stated that the advancement of Turkey's defense industry is being observed by Europeans, adding, "Turkey faces the following problem. Turkey wants to be included in the European Union's 150-billion-dollar defense spending package. However, it is blocked by Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration."
Even the British face difficulties in participating in that program. I assume bilateral cooperation will continue and advance to further stages, but whether Turkey can integrate into the European Union's defense system stands before us as an important issue. US President Trump said 'I have good news.' Rumors circulated that this good news concerns the engines for the KAAN aircraft that Turkey wants to produce. If this happens, Turkey will have the opportunity to bring its weakened air force up to current standards, achieving this with America's contribution to a program it initiated with its own resources.
(FY/VC/VK)
