Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used the opening ceremony of Ankara's new VIP airport to make a pointed claim abo...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used the opening ceremony of Ankara's new VIP airport to make a pointed claim about Turkey's military weight inside NATO, days before the alliance holds its summit in Ankara. "At this stage, we command and control NATO's second largest ground force," Erdogan said, framing Turkey as one of the alliance's most critical pillars on deterrence, peacekeeping missions, and defense industrial output. He added that Turkey's strategic geography, military capabilities, and defense industry all contribute directly to NATO's collective strength and that Ankara will continue playing a dominant role in the alliance. The airport ceremony itself produced striking scenes. Before Erdogan took the podium, the announcer described him as the architect of the "Century of Turkey" and the leader who "resurrects our past, develops our present, and builds our future." The crowd then broke into chants: "An eagle in the sky, a lion on land, Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the heart of the people." Erdogan also said he expects the Ankara NATO summit to serve as a turning point for the alliance's future security architecture, citing growing interest from allied leaders due to regional developments. Separately, Turkish media kept up pressure on Greece. The editor of Milliyet published an opinion piece arguing that the label "neo-Ottomanism" is a construct promoted by Israel and adopted by Greece to frame Turkey as a regional threat. He accused Athens of pursuing expansionist ambitions in the Aegean over islands like Kastellorizo, and repeated Turkish claims about Greek militarization of Aegean islands. Hurriyet also published a report claiming Greece broke a previous commitment to remove Patriot air defense systems from Karpathos, repeating the standing Turkish accusation that Athens violates demilitarization obligations on certain Aegean islands. #Turkey #NATO #Greece