Turkey is seeking to leverage its role in developing the defence industry, its regional and international ties, and the relationship between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump to consolidate and strengthen its position within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). It also aims to secure arms deals with allied countries and push for the removal of any sanctions or restrictions on military cooperation with Ankara.
It hopes to achieve these goals through the alliance's 36th summit, which opened on Tuesday, 7 July, with the Defence Industry Forum and will continue for two days.
The inclusion of the Defence Industry Forum within the summit programme carries particular significance, given the presence of more than 3,000 Turkish companies operating in the sector and the tangible progress Turkey has achieved in this field.
Turkish enthusiasm is evident in the extensive security measures, media coverage and organisation surrounding the event. The preparations reflect Ankara's determination to strengthen its standing within the alliance.
Although this is the second NATO summit hosted by Turkey , following the first in 2004, the current gathering differs markedly, both in terms of Turkey's domestic landscape and wider regional and international developments.
The agenda two decades later has changed entirely because of wars, as well as technological and military advances. Turkey itself has also changed.
President Erdogan has now been in power for nearly a quarter of a century, whereas at the time of the first summit he had only recently taken office and had not yet firmly consolidated his authority.
Turkey's preparations for the event, visible across the streets of the capital, at the summit venues and in arrangements for hosting journalists, demonstrate Ankara's desire to achieve a major diplomatic breakthrough and strengthen its influence amid current developments.
This comes as Turkey faces the possibility of future confrontation with Israel following months and years of escalating exchanges between officials from both countries, which have intensified in recent days.
Turkey's announcement several months ago of the formation of a NATO corps also forms part of efforts to strengthen the alliance's presence in the country, enhance deterrence capabilities and secure international protection through the world's largest military alliance.
US President Donald Trump initially declined to attend the summit before later linking his participation to his respectful relationship with President Erdogan and responding to his invitation.
Trump's presidential-level visit to Turkey is also significant in this context. No US president has visited Turkey in the past 10 years.
That visit took place on the sidelines of the G20 summit, while the last official state visit by a US president occurred 17 years ago.
Both visits were made by former US president Barack Obama, whose relationship with President Erdogan was strained.
Trump's presence in Ankara is therefore expected to have a major impact, particularly as his meeting with Erdogan on Tuesday will bring "good news" for Turkey, according to Trump.
That is expected to be reflected in their joint news conference.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, in an interview with CNN Turk last Thursday, 2 July, outlined Ankara's position on the summit, saying, "The summit will take place in all circumstances, but the participation of the United States, as the founding, guiding and leading state of the alliance, together with President Donald Trump's announcement that he will attend, is in itself the most significant event."
"This participation comes as the United States redefines its role in a world witnessing the redistribution of technology, artificial intelligence, markets and capital, alongside shifts in the balance of power. This will make the Ankara summit the largest in NATO history, and Turkey's position at the heart of these developments, managing them and carrying this burden, is no easy task," Fidan said.
Turkish Defence Ministry spokesperson Zeki Akturk said during the ministry's weekly news conference last Thursday, "The NATO summit represents an important platform through which the alliance reaffirms its firm commitment to collective defence. The summit will once again highlight Turkey's position within the international security architecture and its strategic role inside the alliance."
"Turkey considers the summit a major turning point that will demonstrate NATO's determination to adapt to the changing security environment. A common approach to the alliance's future will be formulated during the meeting," Akturk added. "We expect the Defence Industry Forum, which will be held on the sidelines of the summit, to contribute to increasing defence investment, developing transatlantic defence industry cooperation, and consequently strengthening the alliance's defence and deterrence capabilities."
Alongside strengthening its position within the alliance, where it possesses the second-largest army, Turkey also aims to balance relations with major global powers.
Ankara seeks strong ties with the United States, aspires to a greater role within the new European security architecture "SAFE", and at the same time maintains its relationship with Russia.
It is therefore not clear that Turkey seeks to fill any potential US vacuum in Europe should Washington reduce its presence there. Rather, it aims to secure greater benefits in its relationship with the European Union regarding membership, visa liberalisation and defence cooperation.
This would help create a climate of security and confidence among EU allies during a period of military strengthening within the alliance, while enabling Turkey to secure corresponding gains and interests.
Discussing Turkey's position, its objectives for the NATO summit and its relations with alliance members, Anas Bayrakli, head of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the Turkish-German University, told The New Arab, "Ankara is hosting the most important NATO summit in the alliance's history, as the major geopolitical transformations taking place around the world have become the clearest indication that we are moving towards a multipolar order."
"Within this new context, Turkey has moved beyond its role as the protector of NATO's southern flank during the Cold War or as a country receiving temporary support in counterterrorism efforts while occasionally being affected by restrictions. Having demonstrated its capabilities in the defence industry, Turkey has become a central power within NATO," he added.
On expectations for the summit, Bayrakli said, "In this regard, Ankara expects the new era in NATO to include the complete lifting of all forms of restrictions, both public and undisclosed, imposed by the United States and its European allies, along with concrete steps on issues such as the F-35 fighter jets and the purchase of US engines for the domestically developed KAAN fighter aircraft."
"Following this summit, Turkey will become an industrial and technological production base for the defence industry in a way that serves NATO security," he added.
He stressed that Turkey "will in particular provide doctrinal support to bridge the technological gap in unmanned combat systems for European armies through the rapid production of land, air and naval platforms, alongside suitable munitions."
"Turkey will also assume a leadership role, complementing the shortcomings of its allies," Bayrakli remarked.
He continued, explaining the summit's importance for Turkey, "Amid major shifts in the global balance of power and the emergence of a multipolar world order, NATO is also seeking to adapt to the new era.
"In this context, the alliance can be said to be opening up to the Gulf, Asia and the Pacific, particularly within the framework of NATO 3.0 discussions, while moving towards a concept that enables Europe to defend itself without US support," he said. "All these factors increase Turkey's weight in European defence, while its strong, combat-ready army and dynamic defence industry strengthen its global standing day by day." Article translated from Arabic by Afrah Almatwari. Click here to read the original report.