As always, the diplomatic agenda in Türkiye remained intense last week.
The week was marked by meetings held and agreements signed between Turkish officials and their Western counterparts.
The top topic was the “Strategic Partnership Framework Document” signed by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during his visit to London.
Another development of the week was President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s meeting with the NATO Secretary General in Ankara.
Meanwhile, remarks by the US Ambassador to Ankara at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, which suggested a “monarchic” regime for regional states, drew sharp criticism from the opposition.
“Strategic Partnership Framework Document” between Türkiye and the UK
Last week, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with the UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs, Yvette Cooper, in London.
Following the meeting, it was announced that a “Strategic Partnership Framework Document” had been signed between Türkiye and the United Kingdom. Fidan and Cooper issued a joint statement regarding the document.
Emphasizing that Türkiye and the UK aim to initiate a new era in bilateral relations, the statement noted: “The Türkiye-UK Strategic Partnership Framework Document signed today in London “creates a strong basis to strengthen dialogue and co-operation between our two countries as NATO Allies and strategic partners who share an historic friendship, excellent bilateral relations and common perspectives on a wide range of international issues and global challenges, including a strong desire for security and stability in the Middle East.”
The statement pointed out that the acceleration of “the accelerating global transition towards a multipolar, fragmented international order places the UK and Türkiye in a period of heightened risks”, adding:
“NATO, the bedrock of our security and collective defense, has increased its political and military relevance. NATO’s Strategic Concept, as well as deterrence and defense as a core task, will continue to underline our co-operation in ensuring the security of the Euro-Atlantic area. Strong transatlantic relations are indispensable to peace and stability in Europe.”
It was further highlighted that the Framework Document will enable Türkiye and the UK to “strengthen our co-operation on shared challenges by working more closely to promote global security and prosperity, increasing co-operation and co-ordination within NATO, including strengthening the European pillar, enhancing defense capability and industry cooperation, strengthening co-operation in the fight against terrorism and organized crime, advancing humanitarian and development co-operation”.
According to Fidan and Cooper’s joint statement, the Document “will further cover shared work on combatting climate change and increasing collaboration on energy security and building on our partnership in the fields of science, technology and innovation”.
The statement noted that the Framework Document “reaffirms our intention to increase bilateral trade and investment, including through our ongoing negotiations on a modernized Free Trade Agreement, in a way which supports shared economic growth.”
As part of his visit, Minister Fidan also met with members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Media reports also indicated that Fidan participated in meetings at Chatham House.
Meeting between Erdoğan and Rutte
Another headline from last week was the meeting between President Erdoğan and NATO Secretary General Rutte in Ankara.
The meeting, which lasted approximately 1.5 hours, was attended by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, and the President’s Chief Advisor on Foreign Policy and Security, Akif Çağatay Kılıç.
According to the statement from the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications, the discussions covered preparations for the NATO Leaders’ Summit to be held in Ankara on 7–8 July 2026, issues on the Alliance’s agenda, and regional and global issues.
President Erdoğan stated that the unstable environment in the region once again demonstrated the importance of cooperation and solidarity among NATO members, expressing his expectation for decisions at the Ankara Summit that would reinforce solidarity and support the Alliance’s readiness for crises.
Erdoğan noted that Türkiye is increasing its capacity in the defense industry, particularly in air defense systems, and aims to further develop cooperation with allied countries in this field.
Stressing that the preservation of the Trans-Atlantic bond is of indispensable importance, Erdoğan stated that Türkiye expects the European pillar of the Alliance to assume more responsibility, and excluding European allies who are not members of the European Union from the Union’s defense initiatives would not serve this purpose.
Erdoğan stated that in the process following the attacks against Iran, Türkiye has positioned itself on the side of peace and diplomacy.
According to the statement from the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications, it was expressed during the meeting that Türkiye remains engaged in ensuring the Ukraine-Russia War concludes with peace and is exerting efforts to revitalize negotiations and initiate discussions at the leadership level.
As part of his official visit to Ankara, NATO Secretary General Rutte also visited ASELSAN. Here, Rutte made a statement. Highlighting the importance of production in the defense industry, Rutte said:
“Well, I must say, I’m extremely impressed by what I’ve seen this morning. … Defense industrial production will be extremely important because we have to do better, we have to do more, and we can learn a lot from what Türkiye is doing here. And this is needed because we live in a more dangerous world.”
Rutte also referred to the NATO summit to be held in Ankara:
“Companies like these are combining these two elements, the production and the innovation. It is a top priority for NATO. It will also be one of the key subjects at the NATO summit in Ankara, which will take place in July.”
Reactions to US Ambassador Barrack’s “monarchy” remarks
At the Antalya Diplomacy Forum held in Türkiye on April 17–19, Tom Barrack, acting virtually like a colonial governor, delivered a speech claiming that the most suitable regime for Middle Eastern countries is “monarchy”. Barrack said:
“If you looked at the region, and again, I’ll be criticized for saying this because it’s anti-democratic, the only thing that’s worked, the only thing, are these powerful leadership regimes: either benevolent monarchies, the kind of monarchical republic.”
Barrack also said that the tension between Türkiye and Israel is “merely rhetoric”.
While no statement was issued from the government regarding Barrack’s “overstepping remarks”, a series of reactions poured in from the opposition.
Özgür Özel, leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), stated that Barrack should be declared persona non grata immediately and expelled from the country. Özel said:
“In Antalya, which Atatürk called the world’s most beautiful city, in the country that Mustafa Kemal Atatürk founded, which rejected monarchy after the War of Independence and brought democracy, coming here and criticizing democracy while praising monarchy is brazen impertinence. From this moment on, in terms of Turkish democracy, Tom Barrack is an unwanted person, a ‘persona non grata.’ As of now, we declare Tom Barrack a persona non grata in the Republic of Türkiye. Unless he retracts these words and apologizes to the Republic of Türkiye and everyone living in this country, Tom Barrack should not serve on this soil for one more minute.”
Another reaction to Barrack came from the opposition New Welfare Party (Yeniden Refah). The party’s Chairman, Fatih Erbakan, issued a written statement regarding Barrack’s remarks. Erbakan characterized Barrack’s words of the tension between Türkiye and Israel as “merely rhetoric” as unacceptable. He argued that these statements constitute an interference in Türkiye’s sovereignty and foreign policy.
Using a harsh language in his statement, Erbakan stated that portraying Türkiye as an ally of Israel does not reflect reality and is unacceptable.
Erbakan continued his statement by criticizing the government for its silence and demanded that the US Ambassador be summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and issued a diplomatic note.
Ümit Özdağ, leader of the Victory Party (Zafer Partisi), was also among those reacting to Barrack. Özdağ stated:
“Since Tom Barrack’s arrival in Türkiye, we have repeatedly witnessed many of his statements that show a lack of knowledge in diplomacy and international relations, and a lack of respect for the politics and people of the host country, the Turkish nation. While he should have been warned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for all these remarks, we have instead witnessed Hakan Fidan occasionally offering praise for Tom Barrack (…) The American Ambassador has no right to look down on us in Türkiye and tell us how the Middle East should be governed.”