NATO Summit in Ankara (July 7–8): Turkey Has Never Been a True Partner

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) views the NATO summit on July 7 and 8 in the Turkish capital of Ankara as further confirmation that NATO governments prioritize geopolitical interests over peace, democracy, and human and minority rights. “Although these values are enshrined in NATO’s charter, the host country, Turkey, in particular, constantly tramples on them. If the governments of the other NATO member states took their own values seriously, they would have had to reject Ankara as the venue for the NATO summit,” explained STP Middle East consultant Dr. Kamal Sido today, Monday, in Göttingen. The planned meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and the Islamist Syrian leader Ahmed al-Scharaa is also an expression of this prioritization of power-political interests.

“NATO governments justify their support for Turkey in all its wars and crimes by citing the country’s strategic geopolitical location. The macabre reality is that, from the very first day of Turkey’s NATO membership to the present day under Erdogan, those in power in Turkey have never acted as genuine military partners. A look at the current conflicts and wars in Ukraine or Iran shows that the Turkish state has never fulfilled its alliance obligations. In Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Turkey has effectively remained neutral and has sidestepped all sanctions imposed by NATO governments against Russia. Nor has the Turkish state shown loyalty in the case of Iran,” Sido recalled.

Since Turkey joined NATO on February 18, 1952, NATO governments have at no point strengthened democracy in Turkey. Quite the contrary: NATO has been indirectly involved in several military coups in Turkey in order to crush the democracy movement. As a result of the military coup of September 12, 1980, alone, approximately 650,000 people were arrested in Turkey; 50 people were officially executed by hanging; the death penalty was sought for 7,000 others; and at least 171 people were proven to have died as a result of torture. Nearly 300 people died in prisons under unexplained or suspicious circumstances. Around 95 people were shot dead in the streets.

“Other NATO countries must be aware that Turkey’s interests and those of NATO are not one and the same. Turkey supports radical political Islam worldwide and arms Islamist militias, which in turn murder other ethnic groups and abduct their women,” said Sido. “A prime example of this is the so-called ‘Islamic State,’ which has committed genocidal crimes against ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, including Kurds, Yazidis, Druze, and Christians. Nearly all foreign IS fighters entered Iraq and Syria via Turkey. Money and weapons also came across the Turkish border.”

“Some NATO governments have sided with the Turkish army, claiming it is the guardian of secularism in Turkey. In fact, NATO has actively promoted the Islamization of the Turkish state. The approximately 20 million Alevis and the women in the country suffer most from this development. The approximately 20 million Kurds have also been systematically persecuted, oppressed, displaced, or murdered by the Turkish state with NATO’s support. Kurdish villages and cities were destroyed or set on fire with weapons from other NATO countries. “To the best of our knowledge, Turkey has destroyed or forcibly evacuated more than 4,000 Kurdish villages and hamlets in its war against the Kurds since the 1980s,” Sido reported. According to official figures, the armed conflict between the Turkish state and the PKK resulted in a total of 40,000 to 45,000 deaths. The victims include PKK fighters, members of the Turkish security forces, and thousands of civilians. Furthermore, the destruction and forced evacuation of villages have driven approximately three million people from their homes.

NATO governments justify their support for Turkey, among other things, by citing the fight against PKK terrorism. At the very latest since Abdullah Öcalan—the founder of the PKK, who was imprisoned 27 years ago—persuaded his organization to lay down its arms and disband, this justification has become invalid. Yet even in response to this initiative by the Kurds, the Turkish state continues to react with bans, arrests, and persecution. “NATO is not even capable of persuading one of its own members to respect human and minority rights and to resolve conflicts peacefully. This alliance cannot seriously claim to promote freedom and democracy,” Sido concluded.

This press release was translated from German to English using AI. If you come across errors or ambiguities, please contact us at 65]G378o6DD6CA.