Ankara is operating at heightened security levels ahead of the NATO Summit, with Turkish authorities implementing extensive measures to protect foreign leaders and delegations. Over 56,000 police officers and gendarmes have been deployed across the capital under a security plan codenamed "Turquoise."
Security measures
The plan includes checks at city entrances, hotels, rental vehicles, short-term rental properties, and public gathering spaces. Security zones have been established around hotels housing foreign delegations, roads will be temporarily closed during motorcade movements, and restrictions have been imposed on motorcycles and delivery vehicles in designated areas of Ankara. Specially prepared taxis will be made available to foreign visitors, though free movement within fully restricted zones will not be permitted, with access granted only upon accreditation and screening.
Arrests and anti-protest measures
Measures to prevent demonstrations have also been reinforced. Turkish and international media reported that more than 100 members and officials of the Communist Party of Turkey were detained or held during an anti-NATO mobilisation in Kızılay. Broader counter-terrorism operations had already been carried out across Ankara, with hundreds of suspects detained. Turkish media also report new arrests under the "Turquoise" operation.
Erdoğan-Trump meeting
The arrival of United States President Donald Trump is drawing the greatest attention in the Turkish press. Pro-government media present his presence in Ankara as a significant achievement for Turkish diplomacy and as a reflection of his personal relationship with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The American delegation is expected to be large, including security personnel, technical staff, and support officials. Items expected on the agenda of a possible Erdoğan-Trump meeting include the F-35s, CAATSA sanctions, engines for Turkey's KAAN fighter jet, Syria, and developments in the Middle East.
Erdoğan-Macron prospects
Regarding French President Emmanuel Macron, Turkish media focus primarily on the possibility of a revival of defence cooperation, with references to the SAMP/T air defence system and Turkey's participation in European defence programmes. Turkish authorities denied rumours circulating on social media that parks had been closed for reasons connected to the French President.
Erdoğan-Mitsotakis prospects
Coverage of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is more limited. The Turkish press focuses primarily on whether a meeting with Erdoğan will take place on the sidelines of the Summit. The possibility remains open, with no official one-on-one announced. Pro-government media present a possible Erdoğan-Mitsotakis meeting as an opportunity to maintain "calm waters" in the Aegean, though they do not anticipate substantive progress on the core Greek-Turkish disputes.
Turkey's broader ambitions
The Ankara Summit is being presented by Turkish media as a significant opportunity for Turkey to assert its role within NATO and strengthen its diplomatic profile, at a time when issues with the United States, the European Union, Greece, and Cyprus remain unresolved.
