Turkey Plays Central Role in NATO’s Southern Security—Senior Official

(MENAFN) A senior NATO representative emphasized the critical role of Türkiye in the alliance’s deterrence posture and efforts to maintain stability along its southern flank, underlining Ankara’s growing importance as NATO implements a “360-degree” security strategy ahead of an upcoming summit in the capital.

In an exclusive interview with Anadolu, Javier Colomina, the NATO secretary general’s special envoy for the southern neighborhood, described Türkiye as a central actor in shaping alliance policy toward the Mediterranean and the broader southern region, citing its geographic location, military capabilities, and active contributions to regional security.

“Türkiye plays an essential role... is an actor that is well known for its ability to secure the shores, for its ability to provide defense industry assets, for its ability with their armed forces, and is indeed one of our more committed allies,” he said.

Colomina added: “And particularly in the Mediterranean, it plays a huge role in ensuring that the Mediterranean is a secure basin, together with the other Allies.“

He also highlighted Ankara’s pivotal involvement in developing NATO’s Southern Neighborhood Action Plan, noting that Türkiye has been a key supporter of its implementation as the alliance strengthens deterrence and resilience against threats ranging from terrorism and irregular migration to geopolitical competition.

“The Southern Neighborhood, it’s been an important topic for the alliance for many years, but it was a year and a half ago that we decided to approve a Southern Neighborhood Action Plan,” Colomina said, emphasizing that Türkiye played “a very important role in making that happen.”

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