Ankara Сracks Down on Critics Ahead of Nato Summit

Turkey is getting ready to host the Nato summit in Ankara on 7 and 8 July. More than 200 people have been arrested in the run-up on the grounds that they planned to stage protests that portray Turkey as a “terrorist state”. The Turkish Presidential Office is also reportedly vetting the list of accredited journalists. For Turkish commentators this is a bitter prelude to the summit.

Unprecedented

Former Turkish ambassador Namık Tan expresses his dismay at the security arrangements on T24 (Turkey):

“One would expect security measures of the highest standard for a Nato summit. However, the contents of the decree issued by the Ankara Governor’s Office are likely to have come as a surprise not only for the Turkish public but possibly other Nato countries as well. Because the closure of Ankara’s busiest roads, the suspended operations of hundreds of shops for several days, dozens of cancelled events, an unofficial curfew imposed on the population and, worst of all, the detention of numerous civil society activists out of fear that they might stage political protests – none of this has ever been witnessed at any summit in the alliance’s history.”

Taking security too far

The conservative Islamic daily Karar criticises the fact that all Turkish citizens are being treated as potential suspects (Turkey):

“Elderly environmental activists whose paths have previously crossed with protesting workers, a respected university professor, a journalist who had expressed her opinion on social media – all have been arrested. Journalists from well-known opposition media outlets are not allowed to cover the summit. ... Of course, security measures must be put in place, but in Turkey in 2026, treating everyone as a suspect at a meeting of an organisation for which democracy is a prerequisite for membership is anything but acceptable.”

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No letting Trump off the hook

Europe must set condition for the upcoming summit, former EU Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni urges in La Repubblica (Italy):

“The summit participants will certainly not be able to ignore the [US’s] call for Europeans to take responsibility for their own defence. Responding to this by revelling in memories of the good old days would be irresponsible. The only sensible response is to work towards a new Nato structure in which Europe is given significantly greater weight. … As European states increase their military spending, Europe’s leaders should demand that their US ally reaffirm the principle of deterrence enshrined in Article 5 and, above all, abandon its ‘neutrality’ between Moscow and Kyiv.”