NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Ankara, Türkiye, on 21–22 April 2026, where he held meetings with senior national leadership and toured the facilities of ASELSAN at its Gölbaşı Technology Base.During his meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, discussions focused on Türkiye’s role within NATO and preparations for the upcoming Alliance summit. The Secretary General highlighted Türkiye’s contribution to collective defence and its expanding defence industrial base.

At ASELSAN’s facilities, the delegation was briefed on a range of technologies spanning air defence, land and naval systems, electronic warfare, and unmanned aerial vehicle payloads. Particular emphasis was placed on the company’s multi-layered air defence concept, referred to as “Steel Dome,” within the broader context of integrated and interoperable NATO capabilities.

The visit also included a tour of production and assembly lines, where officials outlined ongoing manufacturing activities and serial production capacity across multiple programmes. ASELSAN representatives presented their approach to delivering scalable, mission-ready systems designed for multi-domain operations.

Rutte also met with engineers at the technology base, highlighting the importance of technical expertise and innovation in addressing evolving security challenges. In remarks during the visit, he noted that strengthening defence industrial cooperation among Allies remains essential, stressing the need to “produce together, innovate together, and buy from each other” in order to reinforce collective security.

In a statement following the visit, ASELSAN President and CEO Ahmet Akyol said discussions covered the company’s technological developments, investment plans, and production capabilities, as well as its role in supporting allied defence requirements.

During his stay in Ankara, the NATO Secretary General also held meetings with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Defence Minister Yaşar Güler, as part of broader engagements aimed at assessing industrial capacity, innovation, and cooperation across the Alliance.