The 36th NATO Summit opened in the Turkish capital, Ankara, today, Tuesday, July 7, with the participation of leaders of member states and NATO partners to discuss security, defense issues and regional challenges. The summit will continue for two days.

On the sidelines of the summit, meetings are scheduled for Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa with a number of leaders, most notably US President Donald Trump.

The Syrian presidency had not announced, by the time this news article was prepared, that al-Sharaa had left Damascus, as he continued receiving French President Emmanuel Macron, who arrived in Syria on an official visit before heading to Ankara this evening to take part in the summit.

Expected Meetings for Sharaa

The White House confirmed that Trump will hold a meeting with al-Sharaa during their presence in Turkey, giving the Syrian file importance on the sidelines of NATO meetings, although it is not included on the summit’s official agenda.

The meeting is expected to address the future of relations between Washington and Damascus, and the political and security files connected to Syria, in light of the changes the country has witnessed in recent months, along with discussing opportunities to expand channels of communication between the two sides.

Syrian-Turkish coordination is also likely to be present in the expected bilateral meetings, whether on border security files or economic cooperation, at a time when Damascus is seeking to expand its diplomatic openness toward Western and regional states.

In the same context, the French presidency announced that Macron will head to Ankara after the end of his visit to Damascus to take part in the NATO Summit, where he will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday. The Syrian file is expected to be among the most prominent issues raised during the meeting, along with bilateral relations and regional issues.

Defense Forum Precedes Leaders’ Meetings

In parallel with the political movements, the summit’s events began with the Defense Industries Forum at a hotel in the Turkish capital. According to Anadolu Agency, it is the largest industrial event in the alliance’s history.

The forum is being held for the first time within the official program of a NATO summit in Turkey, after being organized over the past four years as a side event on the margins of previous summits.

According to the alliance’s official program, an “important announcement” is expected during the forum, which focuses on strengthening transatlantic defense production and increasing investment in military industries, in line with the alliance’s direction to raise its defense readiness.

Summit Amid Security Challenges

Heads of state and government of NATO member countries are scheduled to meet on Wednesday at the presidential complex in the Turkish capital, while the complex is hosting meetings of foreign and defense ministers from member states on Tuesday.

Turkey is hosting the NATO Summit for the second time in its history, after hosting the Istanbul summit in 2004, at a time when the meeting is gaining additional importance due to changes in the international security environment and the increase in regional crises.

Although the summit’s agenda focuses on collective defense, strengthening military capabilities, and the future of European security, the parallel diplomatic movements, led by Syria’s participation and the expected meetings of President Ahmed al-Sharaa with a number of leaders, could make the Syrian file present at the summit. There is anticipation over any signals that may emerge regarding the future of relations between Damascus and several influential capitals, foremost among them Washington, Ankara, and Paris.