“Managing Strategic Uncertainties Ahead of the Ankara Summit” Panel Held in Helsinki Ahead of NATO Summit

A panel titled “Managing Strategic Uncertainties Ahead of the Ankara Summit” was held in Helsinki on 9 June 2026, organized by the Directorate of Communications of the Republic of Türkiye in cooperation with the Atlantic Council of Finland.

The event was the eighth in a series of NATO-focused programs held in the capitals of NATO member states ahead of the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit in Ankara on 7–8 July 2026. Previous editions took place in Madrid, Paris, London, Warsaw, Washington, Rome, and Brussels, each in partnership with a leading local think tank.

Opening remarks were delivered by Türkiye’s Ambassador to Finland Deniz Çakar and Finland’s Permanent Secretary of Defence Janne Kuusela, with a video message from Presidency’s Head of Communications Prof. Burhanettin Duran. An earlier press briefing was hosted that morning at the Turkish Embassy residence by Ambassador Çakar.

The panel was moderated by Esa Rautalinko, Vice President of the Atlantic Council of Finland. Speakers included SETA Foundation at Washington D.C. Executive Director Dr. Kadir Üstün and SETA DC Research Director Prof. Kılıç Buğra Kanat, who also serves as a member of the Presidential Security and Foreign Policy Council. They were joined by Konya MP and NATO Parliamentary Assembly member Ziya Altunyaldız and Finland’s first Permanent Representative to NATO, Ambassador Klaus Korhonen.

Before an audience of ambassadors, security and foreign policy experts, academics, and journalists, panelists discussed Türkiye’s and NATO’s strategic roles amid a shifting global security environment, the risks facing the Alliance, and Türkiye’s potential contributions to European security. Speakers also shared expectations for the upcoming Ankara Summit and the Alliance’s likely trajectory.