NATO fever has gripped them

Prior to the NATO summit to be organised in Ankara on 7-8 July, the NATO Parliamentary Summit was held in Dolmabahçe, Istanbul. In order for the government to host NATO "without any problems", citizens who wanted to protest the Parliamentary Summit were detained. While preparations continue in Ankara, the first session of the NATO Parliamentary Summit, held for the third time in Istanbul, took place. Speaking at the Parliamentary Summit, the President from the AKP, Erdoğan, and the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM), Numan Kurtulmuş, emphasised that Türkiye has been implementing the role cut out for it by NATO to the letter.

Kurtulmuş used the expressions: "NATO is still the world's most important security umbrella. But it is obvious that military capacity alone is not sufficient in resolving the problems that NATO also faces. It is inevitable for NATO to take its place and function as an international organisation that develops not only security doctrines but also peace doctrines."

Speaking at a dinner specially organised for the NATO Parliamentary Summit, the President from the AKP spoke with praise about the resources transferred to the war industry by cutting from the public budget. Saying "At the point of burden-sharing, we are doing our part, and we will continue to do so," Erdoğan used the expressions: "While carrying out the burden-sharing among allies in a balanced and fair manner, we also need to lift the barriers in front of defence industry trade."

DOZENS OF DETENTIONS

On the other hand, the NATO Parliamentary Summit was protested. The police intervened against the youth who wanted to march in front of the Dolmabahçe Palace, where the summit would take place. At least 60 young people were detained. In the demonstration, slogans such as "Down with American imperialism, down with NATO, long live our struggle for independence!" were chanted. On the other hand, Karabük, Eskişehir, and Mersin were also added to the 10-day ban on demonstrations and events introduced in Ankara for the NATO Summit. Demonstrations and events were banned for 10 days in Karabük, for 10 days as of 1 July in Eskişehir, and for 8 days starting from 2 July in Mersin. Prior to the NATO Summit, hundreds of citizens were arrested across the country, and all demonstrations in Ankara were banned.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled NATO sevdasıyla tutuştular, published in BirGün newspaper on June 30, 2026.