NATO denies accreditation to 'non-pro-government media' ahead of Ankara summit
NATO has declined accreditation for several major news outlets and journalists ahead of the alliance’s summit scheduled to take place in Ankara on Jul 7-8.
Late yesterday, journalists and outlets announced on social media one after another that their applications had been denied without any justification. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Turkey account shared the text sent to the journalists on behalf of "NATO Accreditations":
"I regret to say that your request for media accreditation cannot be granted this time. I cannot discuss the reasons for this decision, which is final.
"You can follow the public parts of the meeting on the NATO website and you can always get in touch with questions about NATO's work via the contact form on our website."
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Those rejected were non-state and non-pro-government media outlets. The secular-nationalist Cumhuriyet, Nefes, and Sözcü newspapers, left-wing dailies Birgün and Evrensel, pro-Kurdish İlke TV, pro-opposition Halk TV, and ANKA News Agency are among the denied.
In addition, experienced journalists Deniz Zeyrek and Murat Yetkin, the founder of the Yetkinreport website, were also rejected. Zeyrek expressed his reaction on a post in English:
"I have been a journalist for 32 years and spent many of those years as a diplomatic correspondent. I have covered numerous NATO meetings and summits, including those held in Washington and Brussels. Unfortunately, due to NATO’s accreditation restrictions, I will not be able to cover the NATO Summit taking place in my own city, Ankara. This shame is yours Allison Hart"
Another journalist, Duygu Güvenç, also criticized NATO over the rejection she received, saying that as a journalist who has covered countless NATO events on site, she will not be able to follow the summit in the city where she lives.
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RSF Turkey Representative Erol Önderoğlu criticized the decision as well, demanding a transparent procedure:
"We find it difficult to understand the understanding of accreditation that closes the NATO summit to a significant part of the Turkey media. We do not accept this procedure, which does not state the reason for the rejection and turns its back on the right to appeal in advance, and we demand a transparent and positive procedure."
Response from NATO
Following the criticism, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart made a statement on social media today, saying that the decision was made based on the assessments of the host country and that they are in talks with Turkish officials for wider participation.
"NATO has long-standing media accreditation procedures for major events. For summits and ministerial meetings held outside NATO Headquarters, NATO relies on the host nation to provide assessments on journalists from their country to ensure access to the meeting site.
"We are in contact with Turkish authorities on accreditation for the NATO Summit in Ankara. It is very important for NATO that media can attend major events in person."
The Presidency's Communications Director Burhanettin Duran had previously announced that nearly 3,000 media workers from various countries had applied for accreditation for the summit. (VK)
