NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has called for stronger integration between Türkiye’s defense industry and key European partners, highlighting the country’s growing capabilities and the need for broader cooperation within the alliance.
Speaking at the NATO Public Forum in The Hague on Tuesday, Rutte emphasized Türkiye’s strategic industrial potential. “Türkiye has a very big defense industrial base. Sometimes we forget what they have. I visited some of their companies — it's really impressive,” he said.
Rutte underscored that Türkiye’s defense sector should be “as closely connected as possible to the UK, Norway, and the European Union,” warning against fragmentation within the alliance. “Let’s not have these fences drawn up within NATO. It won’t help,” he added.
The comments come as NATO leaders convene in The Hague for a two-day summit focused on raising defense spending and advancing Ukraine’s path to membership. The future of transatlantic defense cooperation and industrial interoperability remains a key topic on the agenda.
