In 2004, when Turkiye hosted the NATO summit in Istanbul, the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative was launched to strengthen political and military ties between NATO and the Gulf Cooperation Council member states. The initiative aimed to foster security cooperation in the Middle East. As a key NATO member, Turkiye backed strategic dialogue between NATO and the GCC states.
The ICI was launched in the aftermath of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq that changed the region’s security order and led to the improvement in Turkiye-GCC relations. Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE formally joined the initiative, while Saudi Arabia and Oman have not officially joined, but have taken part in ICI’s activities over the years.
In 2012, the UAE became the first country in the region to open a permanent mission to NATO headquarters. Then a NATO-ICI Regional Center was established in Kuwait in 2017 — the first of its kind in the region. The center was created to act as a hub for security training and military education between NATO and its GCC partners. NATO also signed an agreement with Kuwait in 2016 — ratified a year later by Kuwait — to facilitate the movement of NATO personnel and forces through Kuwaiti territory.
In 2025, NATO officially opened its first liaison office in Jordan, reflecting the alliance’s growing strategic interest in the region and its desire to deepen engagement with regional states. The same year, the Turkish Embassy in Cairo hosted an event focused on NATO-Egypt relations that addressed the NATO Southern Neighborhood Action Plan adopted at the 2024 NATO summit in Washington. The initiative aimed to strengthen cooperation between Egypt and NATO while maintaining Cairo’s longstanding policy of engagement with the alliance without seeking formal membership.
Recent regional tensions have accelerated NATO’s engagement with Middle Eastern states. The Gaza war, in particular, has intensified concerns over regional instability, while the US-Israeli war with Iran and concerns over the Strait of Hormuz have further highlighted the importance of NATO-GCC cooperation. The GCC states, as well as Turkiye, increasingly face threats due to the regional tensions, and this pushes them toward more structured security coordination.
Why is Turkiye a significant actor in NATO-GCC cooperation? Turkiye has been a crucial NATO member since joining the alliance in 1952 and it continues to possess the second-largest military within the alliance by personnel after the US. Over the last decade, the development of Turkiye’s defense industry is attracting the interest of both the GCC and the European states – both facing immediate security threats. As a non-Arab regional middle power and a NATO member, when compared to Iran and Israel, Turkiye’s policies closely align with the interests of the Arab regional system.
Within this context, Ankara seeks to play an active role in NATO’s outreach efforts across the Middle East, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf. In doing so, Ankara aims to strengthen its strategic position within NATO by serving as a bridge between the alliance and Middle Eastern countries, particularly the GCC states and Egypt. The recent improvement in Turkiye’s relations with these regional states also aligns closely with NATO’s broader objectives in the region.
Therefore, the upcoming 2026 NATO summit to be hosted in Ankara carries significance beyond symbolism. It comes at a critical moment of geopolitical transformation and will mark only the second time Turkiye hosts a NATO leaders’ summit after more than two decades. Ahead of the summit, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attended a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Sweden this week, where he shared Turkiye’s expectations for the summit and briefed allies on Ankara’s efforts to preserve NATO’s unity and strategic coherence. According to reports, ICI member states are expected to attend the upcoming summit at the foreign minister level.
NATO itself faces challenges in adapting to evolving global security dynamics. The alliance faces issues of internal cohesion, declining military capabilities among some European members and the gradual strategic shift of US attention from Europe toward the Indo-Pacific. Yet, the alliance continues to play a critical role, particularly regarding energy security and maritime trade routes.
Recent regional tensions have accelerated NATO’s engagement with Middle Eastern states.
Dr. Sinem Cengiz
At the same time, the GCC and other regional states face threats not only from Iran, but also Israeli military actions and unpredictability of US policies in the region. The tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz during recent regional confrontations have further shown the need for NATO to strengthen cooperation with the GCC states.
However, there is a growing need to redefine the aimed regional security framework. NATO could become an important partner in a new regional security architecture in the region. However, for this to happen, the ICI must evolve beyond bilateral engagement with the individual GCC states and develop a more comprehensive strategic partnership with the GCC as a sub-regional bloc. Recently, GCC Secretary-General Jasem Al-Budaiwi said that last year marked a milestone in NATO-GCC cooperation, as the NATO-ICI Regional Center in Kuwait recorded its highest level of activity since its establishment.
As GCC states seek to strengthen their defense capabilities in response to regional challenges, the partnership between NATO and the GCC states could emerge as an effective mechanism within a future regional security order. Having said that, the Turkiye summit, in my opinion, could serve as a good opportunity for Saudi Arabia and Oman to formally join the ICI, as their participation has become increasingly important amid regional tensions.
With the potential inclusion of Saudi Arabia and Oman in the ICI, alongside Turkiye’s support for both GCC and NATO defense capabilities, a more comprehensive collective partnership could emerge — one that is capable of addressing regional security challenges, protecting shared interests and expanding areas of defense cooperation.
BY: Writer Dr. Sinem Cengiz is a Turkish political analyst who specializes in Turkiye’s relations with the Middle East. X: @SinemCngz
Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect The Times Union‘ point of view
