NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg praised Turkiye for its investments in advanced defense capabilities such as fifth-generation fighter jets.
Stoltenberg also acknowledged Türkiye’s long-standing contributions to the military alliance in terms of collective security and regional stability.
The NATO chief commended Türkiye for possessing the second-largest army in the alliance including well-trained and well-equipped military forces.
He also emphasized how Türkiye’s strategic location, bordering Iraq and Syria, but also the Black Sea and Russia in the north, has been an important factor for NATO.
Türkiye also showed its capacity to lessen dependency on other nations when it comes to defense after conducting its fifth-generation jet, KAAN, made its inaugural flight last month, making it one of the few countries with the necessary infrastructure and technology to build a fifth-generation combat aircraft.
Its Bayraktar drones have proven their effectiveness in battlefields, including Ukraine.
Turkiye marked its 72nd anniversary as a NATO member state last month.
