Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz held a phone call on Monday to discuss bilateral relations, regional developments and wider global issues, according to Türkiye’s Communications Directorate.
The call comes ahead of the NATO leaders' summit, scheduled to take place in Ankara on 7–8 July 2026, where defence cooperation and alliance unity are expected to dominate the agenda.
During the conversation, Erdoğan said Türkiye aims to deepen its relations with Germany and stressed the importance of continued joint efforts to strengthen bilateral ties.
He also said Ankara expects the upcoming NATO summit to demonstrate a "strong will" to reinforce Europe's defence capabilities while preserving the transatlantic link between Europe and the U.S.
"The Turkish president said Ankara expects the NATO leaders' summit to demonstrate strong will to strengthen Europe's own defence on the basis of NATO and to preserve the transatlantic link," the presidency statement said.
Erdoğan also addressed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, highlighting Türkiye's efforts to support a negotiated settlement and achieve a lasting peace.
According to the Turkish presidency, Ankara is working to revive diplomatic channels and encourage the resumption of negotiations between the two sides.
Türkiye has repeatedly positioned itself as a mediator in the conflict, maintaining dialogue with both Moscow and Kyiv while calling for renewed talks to help bring the war to an end.
The upcoming summit in Ankara is expected to focus on burden-sharing, European defence spending and coordination within the alliance.
Türkiye is set to host the leaders of NATO's 32 member states at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions and renewed debate over the alliance's long-term security commitments.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to Kyrgyzstan next week to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, where he is expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings with regional leaders.
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