NATO to hold 2026 summit at Beştepe on July 7-8

ANKARA

NATO will hold its 2026 summit at the Beştepe presidential residence in the Turkish capital Ankara on July 7-8.

The alliance’s secretary-general, Mark Rutte, confirmed the decision on Aug. 19 and thanked Türkiye for hosting. He underscored that the country has been a key member of the alliance for more than 70 years.

"At our next summit, the leaders will continue to work to transform NATO into a stronger, fairer and more effective alliance, ready to meet critical challenges to our security," he added.

It will mark the second time Türkiye has hosted a NATO summit. The country last welcomed alliance leaders in Istanbul in 2004.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan first announced Türkiye's role as summit host following a cabinet meeting on June 30, saying it would “prepare ground for important decisions to be taken.”

Erdoğan reflected on his attendance at the NATO summit in The Hague on June 24-25, pointing to Türkiye's stance on defense cooperation and regional issues.

"We reflected our determination to remove barriers to trade in defense industry products in alliance documents," he said.