A ship full of American travelers was supposed to spend part of this week in Turkey. Instead, local authorities blocked the cruise from docking in Kuşadası and Istanbul because the passengers were part of an alphabet mafia charter.
The government statement said the groups aboard are known for conduct “incompatible with our society's structure and moral values.”
The cruise wasn't some surprise stunt dropped on Turkey's doorstep. Atlantis Events listed the July 5 to 15 “Athens to Venice” cruise aboard Virgin Voyages' Scarlet Lady with stops in Mykonos, Kuşadası, Istanbul, Santorini, Dubrovnik, Zadar, and Venice. From CNN:
Turkish authorities have banned a cruise ship catering to American LGBTQ+ travelers from docking in the country’s ports, citing “moral standards” and “family values,” the CEO of the events company behind the upcoming Mediterranean tour said Thursday.
The “Athens to Venice” cruise, which departs from Greece on July 5, was expected to dock in the vibrant Turkish port town of Kuşadası two days later, followed by a trip to Istanbul, according to Atlantis Events, which is organizing the voyage.
But in a controversial move, local authorities in Turkey said they have canceled the “event” as the ship – which is expected to host more than 1,000 passengers from the US – was chartered by groups “known for behaviors incompatible with the fabric of our society and our moral values.”
Turkey took the booking, benefited from the attention, then shut the door when the passengers became the issue.
Across the same narrow stretch of time, President Donald Trump put Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the center of the NATO stage. Trump said he might not have gone to the Ankara summit for most leaders, but Erdoğan called and asked him to attend.
Trump said he went “out of respect to President Erdoğan,” whom he has also called a “hell of a leader.” From Newsmax:
Turkey enters the summit in a far stronger position inside NATO than it occupied just a few years ago.
Once criticized by allies for delaying Sweden's accession to NATO, purchasing Russian military equipment and conducting operations against U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in Syria, Ankara is now being viewed as a critical strategic partner.
The shift comes as NATO members seek to expand weapons production and strengthen Europe's defenses amid concerns about Russia and instability in the Middle East.
Turkey fields NATO's second-largest military, controls the strategically vital Bosporus Strait, and has developed one of Europe's fastest-growing domestic defense industries.
The Washington Post reported that many European governments have largely muted earlier criticism of Turkey's democratic backsliding as they pursue closer defense cooperation with Ankara.
Trump's instinct to deal with Erdoğan isn't difficult to understand; Turkey sits in a dangerous neighborhood, fields a major NATO military, and plays a role in the Black Sea, Syria, Russia, Ukraine, and the Middle East.
NATO leaders meeting in Ankara are expected to reaffirm Article 5, pledge $80 billion in military aid to Ukraine for 2026, and name Russia as a long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security. From the AP:
Trump, who is expected to have a bilateral meeting with Erdoğan on the sidelines of the NATO summit, will be the first U.S. president to visit Turkey since Democrat Barack Obama in 2015. By contrast, Democratic President Joe Biden kept Erdoğan at arm’s length over Turkey’s democratic backsliding and close ties to Russia.
Opposition parties and human rights organizations have accused Erdoğan of undermining democracy and curbing freedom of expression. They say baseless investigations and prosecutions of human rights activists, journalists, opposition politicians and others remain a persistent problem in Turkey.
Soner Cagaptay of the Washington Institute said Erdoğan and Trump “clicked” personally during Trump’s first term. When Biden extended an invitation in 2024 for Erdoğan to visit the U.S. after Turkey endorsed Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership, Erdoğan decided not to go.
“That was Erdoğan’s way of signaling to Trump, ‘Hey, you are going to probably win the elections,’” Cagaptay said. “I think Trump saw that as a giant gesture.”
A president can work with an imperfect ally; he often must. Franklin Roosevelt worked with Joseph Stalin to defeat Adolf Hitler, then America spent the next half-century containing the monster it had once needed.
Foreign policy rarely gives presidents a clean table, and Trump is right to look for leverage wherever American interests require it.
The question is what America gets in return. Turkey bought Russia's S-400 missile defense system and was kicked out of the F-35 program in 2019 because U.S. officials feared Moscow could use the system to learn about the jet's capabilities.
Now Ankara wants F-35s again, plus F-110 engines for its KAAN fighter jets, while Vice President JD Vance says Washington is exploring a path forward under U.S. law.
Plenty of Americans won't like the cruise. Plenty of Americans also won't sleep over Turkey's “family values” language. A sovereign nation can set port rules, and no foreign traveler has a natural right to dock wherever he pleases.
Still, when a NATO ally blocks a ship carrying Americans after selling the trip as a Turkey stop, the U.S. government has every reason to ask whether respect runs both ways.
Erdoğan wants Trump's respect, American defense technology, NATO prestige, and a summit that showcases Turkey as a power broker.
Fine. Respect should come with expectations; if Ankara wants better terms from Washington, it can start by treating American travelers as more than props in its domestic culture fight.
Trump has room to be practical without being played; he can shake Erdoğan's hand, push NATO allies to pay their share, and still make clear that American friendship has a price.
Turkey can defend its values, while America can defend its people.
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