Türkiye to host three major summits to boost its diplomatic influence

Türkiye, aiming to boost its diplomatic influence through high-profile international events, will host three major international summits next year.

The COP31 (31st Conference of the Parties) summit is scheduled for Istanbul, with the main conference activities taking place in Antalya, Caliber.Az reports per Turkish media.

The NATO summit will be held in Ankara in July. In 2026, Türkiye will also host the 13th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), where it holds a prominent role.

These summits are expected to play a key role in strengthening Türkiye’s position among countries shaping global diplomacy.

Türkiye maintains one of the largest diplomatic networks worldwide — roughly 260 diplomatic missions — giving it extensive global reach and influence.

As a founding and long-standing member of NATO, Türkiye plays a strategic role on the alliance’s southern flank, combining significant military capabilities with regional leverage to affect security dynamics across the Middle East, Black Sea and Mediterranean.

Beyond military alliances, Türkiye positions itself as a mediation hub and conflict–resolution actor: it co-chairs “Friends of Mediation” groups at the United Nations (UN), OSCE and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), hosts regular international diplomacy forums, and seeks to deploy “insightful and agile diplomacy” in regional crises.

Türkiye also leverages its dual geography — straddling Europe and Asia — to build ties across continents: it maintains strategic partnerships spanning Europe, Asia, Africa, Caucasus and beyond, aiming for “multilateral engagement” rather than alignment with only one bloc.

By Jeyhun Aghazada