Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at a press conference following a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, on June 30, 2025. Türkiye will host the 2026 NATO leaders' summit in its capital Ankara, Erdogan said on Monday. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)

ANKARA, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye will host the 2026 NATO leaders' summit in its capital Ankara, the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

"Türkiye will host the 2026 NATO heads of state and government summit in July, hopefully. We will host NATO leaders in our capital Ankara and prepare the ground for taking very important decisions," Erdogan said at a press conference following a cabinet meeting.

He elaborated on Türkiye's participation in the recent NATO leaders' summit held in The Hague on June 24-25, where he emphasized the need to remove trade restrictions in the defense industry within the alliance framework.

"In the alliance documents, we reflected our will to remove obstacles to trade in defense industry products," Erdogan said, adding that during both closed sessions and bilateral meetings with other leaders, he had underscored the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Erdogan reiterated Türkiye's commitment to actively contributing to NATO's unity and effectiveness, while continuing to raise humanitarian concerns on global platforms.

Türkiye has been a member of NATO since 1952 and is the host of its Allied Land Command headquarters. ■

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at a press conference following a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, on June 30, 2025. Türkiye will host the 2026 NATO leaders' summit in its capital Ankara, Erdogan said on Monday. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)