Media: NATO may invite Gulf states to Ankara summit

NATO is planning to invite representatives of four Persian Gulf countries to a summit in Ankara, where the conflict involving Iran and growing transatlantic disagreements are expected to be among the key topics, Bloomberg reports.

Sources said invitations may be extended to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates — members of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, NATO’s partnership framework with Middle Eastern states.

Foreign ministers from those countries are expected to attend the meeting, scheduled to take place in Ankara on July 7–8.

The summit comes amid rising tensions within NATO over the conflict surrounding Iran and disagreements on regional policy.

Donald Trump has previously criticised allies for what he described as insufficient involvement in issues related to the Strait of Hormuz and also announced plans to reduce the US military presence in Germany.

According to the sources, the meeting could, for the second consecutive year, be held in a more compact and simplified format focused on coordinating positions within the alliance.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov