A senior European Union delegation led by the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on Tuesday ahead of next week’s NATO summit, a visit that comes amid criticism from European lawmakers, rights groups and media organizations over Turkey’s crackdown on dissent before the gathering.
The delegation included Marta Kos, the EU commissioner for enlargement, and Magnus Brunner, the commissioner for internal affairs and migration.
Erdoğan received Kallas and her delegation at the presidential complex in a closed-door meeting attended by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Communications Director Burhanettin Duran and presidential adviser Akif Çağatay Kılıç.
No official details of the meeting had been released.
Türkiye is a key partner on security, migration, and energy, as well as an EU candidate country.
It was good to speak with President @RTErdogan today about further strengthening EU–Türkiye relations and the importance of good neighbourly relations.
We also addressed Russia’s… pic.twitter.com/auj2lGxsgH
— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) June 30, 2026
The European Commission said the visit was intended to advance cooperation on shared priorities and would include talks with Fidan on EU-Turkey relations, security challenges, the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, the Eastern Mediterranean and regional connectivity.
We have much to gain from working more closely with Türkiye.
Good to meet President @RTErdogan together with HRVP @kajakallas and Commissioner @magnusbrunner in Ankara today.
We want to increase trade and investment and strengthen the transport, energy and digital links… pic.twitter.com/u9Mzr9INhp
— Marta Kos (@MartaKosEU) June 30, 2026
The visit came after the European Parliament adopted a report this month urging Kallas to consider measures under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime against Turkish officials accused of rights violations, including Justice Minister Akın Gürlek.
Turkey denounced the report, saying it relied on unfounded claims and targeted the judiciary.
The criticism has also focused on security measures before the NATO summit, which Ankara will host on July 7 and 8.
Human Rights Watch said the detention of at least 209 people in Ankara before the summit showed Turkey’s “ruthless intolerance” of freedom of speech and assembly.
Turkish media later reported that 178 people had been jailed pending trial after the operations, which prosecutors described as a terrorism investigation.
The detainees include journalists, academics, lawyers, students and environmental activists.
Journalism organizations have also criticized the denial of accreditation to several critical Turkish outlets seeking to cover the summit, calling it a blow to press freedom.
NATO said it relies on the host country’s assessment for access by domestic journalists and was in contact with Turkish authorities.
Ankara will host leaders from 32 NATO countries and officials from the Gulf and Asia-Pacific region on July 7 and 8.
Erdoğan has said he wants the summit to emphasize alliance unity, lift defense trade restrictions on Turkey and include Ankara in European defense initiatives.