NATO explains why Kosovo is not at the Ankara Summit

NATO has responded to the interest and debate sparked in Kosovo over the country’s absence from the NATO Summit to be held in Ankara on July 7 and 8, explaining that the agenda of this meeting is focused on the 32 member states and a limited number of partners.

According to a NATO official, the summit will focus on defense investment, expanding the capacities of the defense industry, and continuing support for Ukraine.

“The main topics of the NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government in Ankara this July are defense investment, defense industrial production, and support for Ukraine,” the response said.

Likewise, the Alliance official also recalled a statement by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who stressed that the focus remains on implementing the commitments made by member states.

“The task ahead is clear: to turn Allies’ commitments into concrete results. Increased investment, industrial production, and continued support for Ukraine. All of this contributes to a stronger NATO and greater security for all of us,” Rutte had said.

NATO said that the summit program foresees a meeting of the 32 heads of state and government of member countries, as well as engagements with several of the Alliance’s partners.

“The program will include a meeting of the 32 NATO Heads of State and Government, as well as engagements with some of our partners, including Ukraine, the European Union, the Indo-Pacific, and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative,” the response to Telegrafi said.

Although Kosovo does not appear among the summit participants, NATO stresses that the Western Balkans remains a region of strategic importance to the Alliance and that its commitment to security in this part of Europe has not changed.

“The Western Balkans remains high on NATO’s agenda. It is a region of strategic importance to the Alliance. Our commitment to the stability of the region is unwavering and we will not allow a security vacuum to emerge,” the response said.

In the same response, the Alliance also underlined the continuing importance of the KFOR mission in maintaining security in Kosovo.

“KFOR continues to play a critical security role in Kosovo, under a long-standing UN mandate, while we continue to work closely with our international partners, especially the European Union. The security of the Western Balkans is also vital to us and we will not allow it to be endangered,” the NATO official’s response said.

This clarification from NATO comes after numerous discussions and reactions in Kosovo over the fact that the country is not on the list of participants at the NATO Summit in Ankara.

Meanwhile, Telegrafi will cover the NATO summit to be held in Ankara.