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NATO summit in Ankara finds Turkey in deep crisis. Erdogan relies on repression…
Anyone who has ever visited the Presidential Palace in Ankara can get a rough idea of the scale of its builder's ambitions for power. The building complex alone covers some 40,000 square meters on a vast area in the west of the city. Recep Tayyip Erdogan built the palace in 2014. For its construction, part of the Ataturk Orman Çiftlıgi, a green area personally donated by the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, considered one of Ankara's "green lungs", was sacrificed. This happened despite numerous protests.
Inside, the palace is characterized by numerous galleries in the style of the old Seljuk princes and long, wide corridors that seem endless. From the outside, the complex, built in neo-Ottoman style, appears as a majestic monument, with a mosque in the center and large, usually empty squares.
Now the Turkish president finally has the opportunity to use this luxurious palace as a backdrop for an appearance on the international stage. The NATO Summit begins in Ankara on Tuesday. US President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and dozens of heads of state and government will be hosted by Erdoğan at the Presidential Palace.
Guests should be as impressed as possible. According to reports, this is precisely why authorities have placed protective barriers along the main roads leading to the palace, so as not to see the poorest neighborhoods and less developed areas of the capital.
Erdogan needs the NATO Summit as proof of his power
For Macit Karaahmetoglu, a member of the German Bundestag from the Social Democratic Party (SPD), this is a clear indication of how tense the Turkish president is these days. Karaahmetoglu is the SPD's coordinator in the Subcommittee on International Organizations and has been following Erdoğan's policies with criticism for years.
"For him, a lot is at stake. Things are not going well in his country. These barriers have a symbolic character. Erdogan wants to hide the reality," Karaahmetoglu said in an interview with our editorial team.
In fact, Turkey has been facing serious economic problems for years. Food prices have risen sharply, while the Turkish lira has continuously lost value.
"The NATO summit is a welcome show of strength for him. Erdogan also wants to show his citizens that he remains the strong man he has always been," Karaahmetoglu added.
However, according to polls, support for Erdoğan has long been waning. His rule is no longer considered to be as stable as citizen dissatisfaction is growing.
Protests, arrests and pressure on the opposition
This dissatisfaction has long been expressed in mass protests, especially since March 2025. After the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu (CHP), who was considered the strongest political rival of Erdoğan and his AKP party, hundreds of thousands of citizens took to the streets across Turkey. The police reacted forcefully to the protesters.
A few months later, a court dismissed Ozgur Ozel, the leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), citing corruption charges. The atmosphere in the country remains tense. Shortly before the NATO Summit, Erdoğan ordered the arrest of hundreds of journalists and academics who were considered critical of the government. Critics interpret this as a harsh campaign of political purges. In their opinion, nothing and no one should spoil Erdoğan's grand political spectacle.
The trial against İmamoğlu continues in parallel with the summit
Simultaneously with the development of the NATO Summit, the trial of Ekrem İmamoğlu, which many observers consider a political and formal process, enters a new phase.
"The fact that all of this is happening right now is very significant," Karaahmetoglu said.
According to him, Erdogan is eliminating political opponents one by one. "Only people who he himself allows to participate and who he knows cannot endanger his power are allowed in the race. Under these conditions, Erdogan no longer enjoys democratic legitimacy," he said.
The Social Democrat MP said he expects German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to also express these concerns to Erdogan, at least in closed-door meetings. "It must be made clear to him that we are not fooled by cover-up barriers and that we know that democracy in Turkey is in danger of being abolished," he said.
A diplomatic challenge for NATO
For the leaders of NATO member countries, this situation is expected to be a difficult diplomatic balance.
Turkey has long been considered a somewhat special member of the alliance. However, especially in the face of the possibility that the United States, under Donald Trump, may reduce or withdraw its commitment to NATO, Turkey's strategic importance to European countries has increased significantly.
Its position as the protector of NATO's southeastern flank and the Black Sea region makes Ankara a key partner for the alliance's security. / Pamphlet adapted from Fr.de/
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