ZEYNEP BODUR OKYAY AT THE NATO ANKARA SUMMIT

• The Global Relations Forum (GIF), chaired by Zeynep Bodur Okyay, hosted a roundtable discussion as part of the official side events of the NATO Ankara Summit. The meeting began with a speech and assessments by GIF Chairperson Zeynep Bodur Okyay.

The Global Relations Forum (GIF), in collaboration with the European Policy Centre (EPC), hosted a roundtable discussion titled “The Strategic Hinge: Rethinking Türkiye’s Indispensable Role in Autonomous European Security” at Ankara Palas on July 7th, as part of the official side events of the NATO Ankara Summit.

The meeting began with an opening speech and remarks by Zeynep Bodur Okyay, Chairperson of the GIF Board of Directors. Moderated by Barçın Yinanç, a member of the GIF Board of Directors, the meeting featured contributions from Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Levent Gümrükçü, EPC Director of European and Global Affairs and Head of the Europe in the World Programme Almut Möller, GIF Board Member Murad Bayar, Senior Researcher at the French Institute for International and Strategic Relations (IRIS) Patrice Moyeuvre, Director of the Atlantic Council Scowcroft Centre for Security and Strategy and Researcher at the Transatlantic Security Initiative Dr. Torrey Taussig, and GIF Executive Committee Chairperson Ambassador (Ret.) Timur Söylemez.

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The meeting comprehensively assessed Europe's changing security environment, NATO's transformation, the future of transatlantic relations, Türkiye's strategic position in the European defense architecture, opportunities for cooperation in the defense industry, and the future of NATO-EU relations. The importance of strengthening sustainable cooperation in the security field through political dialogue based on mutual trust and inclusive partnership mechanisms was emphasized. GIF will continue to contribute to such strategic dialogue platforms where current developments in international security and foreign policy are discussed with different stakeholders.