Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will attend the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels on April 3-4, ahead of the alliance’s June summit, diplomatic sources said.
The meeting, the first high-level consultation between NATO allies and the new U.S. administration, will focus on collective defense, the war in Ukraine, and NATO’s engagement with its Asia-Pacific partners, the sources added.
The meeting will take place across four sessions. The first, attended exclusively by NATO’s 32 member states, will address burden-sharing, defense spending, European security, and preparations for the NATO Summit in The Hague. Ministers will also discuss the long-term security impact of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Fidan is expected to highlight Turkey’s strategic role in Euro-Atlantic security, emphasizing its contributions to regional stability through its strong military and defense industry.
The second session will include NATO’s Asia-Pacific partners—Australia, South Korea, Japan, and New Zealand—focusing on shared security challenges. Fidan is likely to advocate for closer NATO-Indo-Pacific cooperation in response to global security threats.
The third session, convened as the NATO-Ukraine Council, will feature Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. Discussions will cover Ukraine’s military and economic needs, the geopolitical impact of the war, and potential post-war security arrangements.
Turkey, which has played a mediating role between Russia and Ukraine, is expected to reaffirm its support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity while advocating for a sustainable ceasefire and lasting peace.
The final session will focus on NATO-EU cooperation, with Kallas briefing NATO ministers on EU security and defense initiatives. Fidan is expected to stress that Turkey is a vital part of European security and should have a greater role in EU defense industry projects.
