Türkiye Eyes Arab Leaders for NATO Summit as Southern Flank Debate Grows

By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk

Türkiye wants to use the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara to bring the alliance's southern flank into sharper focus, according to a column by Barçın Yinanç for T24.

Yinanç wrote that Ankara is considering inviting Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, along with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt, to the NATO summit. The column said some NATO members appear uneasy with the idea, especially as many allies prefer the summit to remain focused on Russia's war in Ukraine and transatlantic unity.

The report also said Türkiye wants Iran to be discussed at the summit, at least at ministerial level. That would fit Ankara's long-standing argument that NATO should not treat threats from the south, including terrorism, regional wars and instability around the Middle East, as secondary issues.

Yinanç noted that Türkiye has traditionally defended NATO's "360-degree" security approach and has pushed the alliance to pay more attention to the southern flank. The 2004 NATO Istanbul summit, hosted by Türkiye, produced the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative with Gulf countries, although the mechanism later delivered limited results.

The possible invitation to al-Sharaa would carry a broader political message. According to the column, Ankara may want to help consolidate the new Syrian leadership while also sending a message to Israel at a moment when the Iran war, Syria and regional security are increasingly connected.

The column also underlined the diplomatic sensitivity of the summit. NATO allies are already divided over Iran, Russia, European defence and the future of transatlantic security. In that context, Ankara's challenge will be to shape the agenda without allowing the summit to expose deeper splits inside the alliance.

***This summary is based on Barçın Yinanç's column for T24, published on May 12, 2026, titled "Ankara NATO zirvesine, El Şara ve Arap liderleri çağırmak istiyor."