On the eve of the 36th NATO Leaders Summit in Ankara, leaders of member states converged on the Turkish capital. The number of heads of state and government arriving for the summit reached 30 by the evening.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his wife Emine Erdoğan hosted a reception and official dinner at the Presidential Complex in honor of the visiting leaders and their spouses. The leaders arrived at the ceremonial welcome area in official vehicles and, accompanied by the marches of the mehter band, ascended the stairs to be greeted individually by President Erdoğan and his wife.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, as well as representatives from 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 arrived in Ankara. Presidential Cabinet members greeted each leader individually.
Diplomatic contacts at the reception
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was the first to arrive at the reception, while the final guest was US President Donald Trump. President Erdoğan and his wife had a cordial conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron. As President Erdoğan headed to the dining hall with US President Trump, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz greeted the other heads of state and government.
NATO's summit expectations
NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska spoke at the "NATO Summit Dialogues" event held in Ankara. Shekerinska stated that they expect the summit to be "a turning point" for the alliance, and that all allies must do their part.
"Last year's summit in The Hague was not easy, because we had to commit to much stronger investments and spending in our defense area. We took bold and historic decisions, but now in Ankara, we will show the even more important part: that is, how we will turn these words and commitments into concrete results, how we will deliver on the commitments we have made," she said.
Shekerinska noted that the summit would be about "a change in mindset," and that in line with the vision of strengthening collective defense and "NATO 3.0," the aim is for a stronger Europe within a stronger alliance.
