Dutch Defence Minister Yeşilgöz fled Ankara as a child — now she returns for the NATO Summit after 14 years

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Dutch Defence Minister Yeşilgöz fled Ankara as a child — now she returns for the NATO Summit after 14 years
Minister of Defence of North Macedonia Misajlovski, Minister of Defence of the Netherlands Yeşilgöz-Zegerius and Minister of Defence of Norway Sandvik / photo: NATO 

For most ministers attending the NATO Summit in Ankara, the visit is a matter of diplomacy and defence policy. For Dutch Defence Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz, it is also deeply personal. Born in Ankara and fled Turkey as a child because of her family's political background, Yeşilgöz has returned to her birthplace for the first time in more than a decade — now as a member of the Dutch government. What does it mean for a former refugee to stand on the NATO stage in the city she once left behind? And how does she navigate the political tensions that still shape her relationship with the country of her birth? Read on for the full story.

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