The Summit Meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government will be held in Romania’s capital Bucharest on 2-4 April 2008.

Turkey will be represented at the Summit by a delegation headed by President Abdullah Gül, and including Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and National Defence Minister Vecdi Gönül.

The agenda of the Bucharest Summit, which can be considered as an “enlargement summit” due to the decision expected to be taken regarding the invitation of the three Membership Action Plan Countries, namely Albania, Croatia and Macedonia to the Alliance, will also contain issues of NATO operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo, the Alliance’s relations with Ukraine and Georgia, and NATO’s approach to the Balkans, as well as challenges of the 21st century such as energy security, cyber defence and missile defence.

In addition to the meetings of the North Atlantic Council, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, the NATO-Russia Council and the NATO-Ukraine Commission, separate sessions are planned with prospective members, and with countries and international organisations contributing to ISAF operation.

President Gül and Minister Babacan will be holding bilateral meetings with several heads and members of delegations during the Summit. Minister Babacan is expected to participate in the Bucharest Conference, a side-event of the Summit to deliver a speech on “the relevance today of Article 5 concerning common defense of NATO”.