NATO plans to invite four Gulf states to Ankara summit as Iran conflict and alliance strains shape agenda
The Facts
- NATO is preparing for a summit in Ankara, Turkey, in the coming weeks.
- Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are Gulf states linked to NATO through the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, and NATO plans to invite representatives from those countries to the Ankara summit.
- The war involving Iran is expected to be one of the issues on the summit agenda.
- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said some NATO allies refused U.S. access to military bases for operations related to Iran, and he cited that as a reason to question the alliance’s value for Washington.
- Rubio specifically cited Spain as an ally that denied the United States use of bases, while also saying Portugal and some eastern European allies were more cooperative.
- Ahead of the summit, Mark Rutte has called on European NATO members to increase defense spending and assume more responsibility for conventional defense within the alliance.
- Eastern and northern NATO members used a preparatory meeting in Bucharest to push for higher allied military spending before the Ankara summit.
- One unresolved issue heading into the summit is how NATO will manage strains over U.S. military posture and burden-sharing in Europe while also addressing Middle East security concerns tied to Iran.
Context
Why are Gulf states being invited to a NATO summit?
The four countries named in the reporting—Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE—are members of NATO’s Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, a partnership with non-member states in the broader Middle East. Their planned participation would bring regional partners into summit discussions expected to include the Iran war Bloomberg Business.
What has exposed tensions inside NATO before the summit?
Rubio said some NATO allies would not let the United States use their bases for operations connected to Iran, and he argued that this raised questions about NATO’s usefulness to Washington; he specifically mentioned Spain while praising Portugal and some eastern allies for their cooperation Washington Examiner,20 minutos,La Razón. At the same time, Rutte has been urging European members to spend more on defense and take on more responsibility, underscoring a broader burden-sharing debate infobae,eldiario.es.
Why does the Ankara summit matter beyond the immediate Iran issue?
Reporting ahead of the meeting indicates leaders will be dealing with both Middle East security and longer-running questions about NATO’s internal balance, including European defense spending, U.S. force posture in Europe and how responsibilities are divided across the alliance LaVanguardia,eldiario.es,La Voz de Galicia.
Where Left and Right agree, and where they split
- Where Left and Right agree
- The Ankara summit will test NATO’s ability to handle security pressures tied to Iran while managing unresolved strains inside the alliance over defense spending, military responsibility, and the practical reliability of member support.
- Where Left and Right split
- Less a disagreement than a question of emphasis: NATO balancing a wider regional security agenda that includes Gulf partners and Iran, versus NATO proving allies will share burdens and deliver concrete support when the United States asks.
How left and right read it
The Ankara summit matters because NATO is bringing in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates while putting the war involving Iran on the agenda. At the same time, Mark Rutte’s call for higher European defense spending and more responsibility, along with unresolved strains over U.S. military posture and burden-sharing in Europe, show an alliance balancing external security concerns with internal pressures.
The key issue heading into Ankara is whether allies are carrying their share and following through when security demands it. Rubio’s criticism after some allies refused U.S. access to bases for operations related to Iran, together with calls for higher defense spending and more responsibility from European members, puts burden-sharing and alliance reliability at the center of the summit.
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