President Costa travelling to Türkiye for the NATO summit and meeting with President Erdoğan
The President of the European Council, António Costa, will visit Ankara, Türkiye, on 7 and 8 July. On Tuesday, he will attend NATO Summit leaders’ dinner. On Wednesday, together with President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, he will meet President of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
NATO summit
The NATO summit will focus on defence investment, industrial production, support for Ukraine, and broader regional issues. The European Union and its member states have been assuming greater responsibility for their own defence by:
- increased defence spending
- implementation of capability initiatives
- industrial reinforcement
- strong and sustained military support to Ukraine
- strengthened partnerships
All these initiatives contribute to making both Europe and NATO stronger.
“A stronger Europe means a stronger NATO. Higher defence investment translates into real capabilities, a more resilient defence industry, and greater readiness. As Europe steps up on defence, it strengthens the Alliance and our collective security. In today’s increasingly challenging world, the EU-NATO partnership is more important than ever.”
António Costa, President of the European Council
EU-NATO cooperation has been critical to enhancing Euro-Atlantic security. NATO remains the foundation of collective defence for its members, while a stronger and more capable European defence that complements NATO is essential.
Together, the EU and NATO represent over 1 billion people and some of the world’s largest economies, providing significant political and military influence on the global stage. 23 out of 27 EU member states are also NATO members.
EU-NATO cooperation has expanded significantly in recent years, building on three joint declarations (in 2023, 2018 and 2016), as well as the EU Strategic Compass and the NATO Strategic Concept adopted in 2022. The European Union and NATO have long been close strategic partners and have numerous shared security interests. In light of Russia’s war against Ukraine, both organizations have played key roles in supporting Ukraine’s defence of its sovereignty, and are determined to continue to do so to achieve a just and lasting peace. In this regard, the EU’s Ukraine Support Loan comes at a crucial time.
- Joint Declaration on EU-NATO Cooperation, 10 January 2023
- EU-NATO cooperation (background information)
Meeting with the President of Türkiye
The meeting of Presidents Costa and von der Leyen with President Erdoğan will focus on EU-Türkiye bilateral relations.
The current geopolitical context calls for strengthened dialogue and cooperation, based on shared interests and pragmatic steps. The roadmap for this cooperation is set out in the Joint Communication on the state of play of EU-Türkiye political, economic and trade relations, adopted in November 2023.
The Presidents will discuss the implementation Joint Communication. They will also discuss the regional situation, in particular the ongoing diplomatic efforts led by the United Nations Secretary General to resolve the Cyprus dispute.
The EU and Türkiye are strategic partners. Their relationship is anchored in the 1963 Association Agreement, also known as the Ankara agreement. It provides the framework for closer political ties and economic integration.
The EU is Türkiye’s top trading partner while Türkiye is the EU’s 7th biggest trade partner. In 2022, the total trade between them amounted to €198.1 billion, representing 3.6% of the EU’s total trade with the world.