A meeting between Turkey’s defense minister and the US ambassador to Turkey has triggered a domestic political dispute after photographs released by the defense ministry prompted criticism over the seating arrangement, the Sözcü daily reported on Friday.
Defense Minister Yaşar Güler received US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack at the Ministry of National Defense on Friday. The ministry shared official photographs of the meeting on social media, noting that Chief of General Staff Gen. Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu was also present.
Millî Savunma Bakanı Yaşar Güler, ABD'nin Ankara Büyükelçisi ve Suriye Özel Temsilcisi Tom Barrack’ı kabul etti.
Kabulde, Genelkurmay Başkanı Orgeneral Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu da yer aldı.#MillîSavunmaBakanlığı#YaşarGüler pic.twitter.com/IqNPiWPTM0
— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) January 16, 2026
Shortly after the images were published, Şamil Tayyar, a former lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), criticized the visuals, arguing that the seating gave the impression that the US ambassador was hosting the Turkish delegation.
“The ambassador looks as if he is receiving our delegation like a president or prime minister,” Tayyar wrote on X. “Such a seating arrangement is unacceptable and deeply offensive. At the very least, it should not have been published.”
Büyükelçi, sanki cumhurbaşkanı veya başbakan gibi bizim heyeti kabul etmiş!
Böyle bir oturma düzeni olmaz, çok incitici.
Hiç olmazsa yayınlamasaydınız! https://t.co/9k9ZtUcWcx
— Şamil Tayyar (@samiltayyar27) January 16, 2026
Following the backlash, social media users circulated earlier photographs from the defense ministry showing similar seating arrangements during meetings with foreign diplomats and military delegations.
Those images suggested that the layout used during Barrack’s visit was consistent with the ministry’s standard protocol rather than a special arrangement for the US ambassador. The defense ministry did not issue an additional statement responding directly to the criticism.
The controversy also prompted a response from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). Murat Bakan, a CHP deputy chair, said in remarks to Halk TV that the image went beyond a simple visual issue and raised questions about state protocol and equality in diplomacy.
Bakan argued that diplomatic meetings should reflect institutional balance rather than personal rapport, adding that protocol serves to demonstrate equality between states and the seriousness of official positions. He said the image created the impression that one side was placed at the center while the other appeared marginal.
“This is not about individuals, but about the dignity of the state,” Bakan said, stressing that no foreign representative should appear to occupy a host position in a Turkish minister’s own office.
Although the defense ministry did not disclose details of the talks, Turkish media reported that discussions focused on Syria, including the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the Syrian state following a March 10 agreement and broader bilateral relations between Ankara and Washington.
The agreement implemented a country-wide ceasefire, envisaged equal representation for minorities in the political process and proposed integrating the SDF’s military and civilian structures into the new Syrian state.
Barrack’s visit comes amid heightened regional tensions and ongoing negotiations over Syria’s future, making the optics of the meeting particularly sensitive in the domestic political debate.