ANKARA, 18 May. - (ANA) - NATO is to invite members of its Istanbul Cooperation Initiative — a partnership that includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE — while host country Türkiye plans to invite leaders from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. 

 

The meeting comes in the wake of growing transatlantic tensions over the war in Iran after President Donald Trump criticized NATO allies for failing to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and later announced the withdrawal of about 5,000 troops from Germany.

 

The initiative is partly driven by NATO’s plan to bolster its so-called southern flank, particularly in the context of the war in Iran, one of the people said.

 

The summit will consist of one core session restricted to the alliance’s 32 leaders like last year, and while inviting leaders from other countries such as the Indo-Pacific or Ukraine is being considered, they would participate in side events, the people said.

 

For the second year in a row, the summit is being planned in an extremely stripped-down and condensed format to accommodate the US president, they said.

 

Allies are also considering holding summits less frequently than once a year, which was the practice before the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but there is no consensus on the matter yet, according to one of the people.

 

The planning will be firmed up when NATO foreign ministers meet in Sweden next week. - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/18 May 2026 - - -