Turkish music performances and traditional attire drew interest from world leaders and international delegations during events held as part of the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit in Ankara, the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry said.
Artists affiliated with the ministry’s cultural institutions performed at official programmes held at the Presidential Complex and Cankaya Mansion, presenting a repertoire ranging from Western classical music to selected works from Turkish and Turkic world musical traditions.
The ministry said the performances contributed to Türkiye’s cultural diplomacy through the universal language of art as Ankara hosted leaders and delegations for the NATO summit.
Artists from the Presidential Symphony Orchestra, known as the CSO, performed in several programmes during the summit, receiving appreciation from visiting leaders.
French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated members of the CSO Cello Stars one by one after their performance at the leaders’ dinner and expressed his appreciation for the quality of the performance. Macron also said he would like to listen to the ensemble in France.
The Samida Group, which performed at the conclusion of the dinner programme, received praise from international guests for its multilingual performance.
US President Donald Trump expressed his appreciation with a gesture during the group's performance and congratulated the artists.
Four different ensembles of CSO artists participated in welcome ceremonies, leaders' meetings and reception programmes at the Presidential Complex.
The Samida Group created a multicultural atmosphere at the end of the dinner programme, performing songs in Turkish, Romani, Greek, English and Albanian.
At Cankaya Mansion, a programme hosted by first lady Emine Erdogan featured a trio of female artists from the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s General Directorate of Fine Arts, performing on the ney, kanun and classical kemenche.
At Ankara Airport, artists from the Ankara State Performing Arts Ensemble welcomed heads of state and their spouses with flowers while wearing traditional outfits prepared by the Ankara Maturation Institute.
The traditional clothing and artist presentations were admired by the visiting delegations.
The South Korean delegation spoke with the artists and looked closely at the instruments used in the performances.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also examined the traditional attire with interest and thanked the artists.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said on Türkiye’s NSosyal platform that the country hosted world leaders during the NATO summit not only through diplomacy but also with the elegance of its deep-rooted cultural and artistic heritage.
Ersoy said the artists represented Türkiye successfully at the Presidential Complex and Cankaya Mansion with distinguished repertoires ranging from classical music to unique melodies from the Turkic world.
“The traditional attire worn by our artists during the welcome ceremonies and the works they performed won the appreciation of guest heads of state and their delegations,” Ersoy said.
