As the upcoming NATO Summit approaches, Western governments are facing renewed scrutiny over their response to Turkey’s domestic political climate. Despite persistent allegations of human rights violations, legal action against opposition figures and the weakening of democratic institutions, NATO allies appear to be placing greater emphasis on security and defence cooperation with Ankara than on public criticism of its internal affairs.
The NATO summit, scheduled for July 7–8 in Ankara, will mark U.S. President Donald Trump’s first visit to Turkey since beginning his second term in office. A high-level bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is also expected to take place on the sidelines of the summit.
According to Western and Turkish diplomatic sources, contentious domestic issues—including the government’s legal actions against the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the imprisonment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu—are unlikely to feature prominently in the public agenda of the summit.
Analysts say Turkey’s strategic importance to European security has increased significantly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As NATO’s second-largest military power and a leading exporter of advanced military drones, Turkey has become an indispensable partner in Western defence planning.
Karol Wasilewski, a researcher at the Centre for Eastern Studies, said Western governments are increasingly prioritising pragmatic, interest-based diplomacy over value-driven foreign policy.
In his view, concerns about democracy and human rights have become secondary to security cooperation.
Critics warn that such restraint could further embolden authoritarian tendencies in Turkey. David Satterfield, a former U.S. ambassador to Turkey, said the international community should continue speaking publicly about the deterioration of democratic institutions so that Turkish citizens understand how developments in their country are viewed abroad.
Observers also point to the diplomatic fallout in 2021, when President Erdoğan threatened to expel the ambassadors of ten Western countries after they issued a joint statement calling for the release of civil society leader Osman Kavala. Since then, analysts say, Western governments have adopted a more cautious approach toward commenting on Turkey’s domestic political issues.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has consistently rejected allegations that it uses the judiciary for political purposes, maintaining that Turkey’s courts operate independently.
However, ahead of the NATO summit, concerns have resurfaced after several independent journalists were reportedly denied accreditation for the event, while more than 200 people were detained by security forces citing security-related reasons.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said the Ankara summit could see the announcement of several billion dollars’ worth of new defence agreements.
Some Western diplomats also believe that raising concerns privately with Turkish officials, rather than through public criticism, may be a more effective way to address sensitive issues while preserving strategic cooperation.
Source: Reuters.