If NATO wants to credibly criticize Russia’s attack on Ukraine, which violates international law, it must also condemn all internationally wrongful attacks by its member states –according to a statement of the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) at the beginning of the NATO summit on June 29 in Madrid: “If a state carries out attacks on the civilian population of a neighboring state, it must not be spared from criticism because of its NATO membership,“ stated Dr. Kamal Sido, Middle East expert of the STP. “Turkey has been terrorizing its neighboring countries Syria and Iraq with drone and missile attacks for years – and it has occupied parts of foreign territory. No NATO state has yet dared to protest against this or to bring Turkey's war crimes onto the agenda of the UN Security Council.”

Especially members of ethnic and religious minorities are affected by the ongoing attacks. “In the eyes of these people, the West is losing its credibility with regard to all the talk about values and morals,” Sido added. “They have little choice but to give up. Representing NATO – and acting in league with Islamist militias – Turkey is trying to drive them out of their traditional settlement areas, forcing them to flee.“ Then, Turkey gives their houses to Islamist allies. This way, it is possible for Turkey to expand its sphere of influence and change the demographic structure of the once Kurdish-dominated areas of Syria and Iraq – another clear violation of international human rights.

“NATO is absolutely right to insist on the validity of international law in connection with the situation in Ukraine. However, the fact that Turkey’s ongoing human rights violations are ignored, will – in the long term – jeopardize international law and all institutions that are supposed to secure it,“ Sido emphasized. “NATO must use the summit in Madrid to call Turkey to order. Otherwise, the entire international legal system will lose legitimacy – or might even be undermined completely in the long run.”