US lawmakers are calling for action against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “inflammatory rhetoric” against NATO allies and Israel in a letter sent to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

Members of Congress argue that the Turkish President is undermining Washington’s key allies, as well as US efforts to counter international terrorism. In light of this, they are asking the State Department to condemn them related statements and actions of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“Erdogan’s promotion of harmful, anti-democratic policies and his alignment with the axis of evil are straining relations between the US and Turkey. If this trend continues, the US should consider measures to ensure that Turkey complies with its NATO obligations,” the US lawmakers stressed in their letter.

The bipartisan letter signed by a total of 24 lawmakers is an initiative of lawmakers Josh Gottheimer and Gus Bilirakis and is supported by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the FDD Action Institute.

The letter from the US Congressmen to Anthony Blinken

“We are writing to reiterate our serious concerns regarding the recent inflammatory rhetoric and behavior of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Although the allies often disagree, Erdogan’s recent behavior has undermined US efforts to counter global terrorism. With democracy under attack around the world, it is vital that allies stand with those on the front lines fighting authoritarianism and strongly condemn anti-democratic behavior that violates our shared values. We urge the government to publicly condemn President Erdogan’s rhetoric and actions that undermine support for our key allies abroad, particularly Israel.

On July 9, 2024, many of us sent you a letter outlining our concerns about Erdogan’s statements about Israel and asking you to condemn his continued support for the terrorist regime responsible for the October 7 attacks. In this letter we listed several dangerous and incendiary comments by Erdoğan calling, among other things, the terrorists of Hamas “freedom fighters” and calling Israel a “terrorist state”. Since then, President Erdogan has continued to make statements and propose policies that undermine our international partnerships and alliances. Unfortunately these actions add to a history of Erdogan aligning himself with authoritarian and terrorist regimes that ignore American and European priorities.

Erdogan’s statements are abhorrent and his behavior continues to undermine America’s security interests abroad, providing fertile ground for authoritarian leaders around the world. In particular, Erdogan has exacerbated divisions within NATO over business and security. Earlier this summer, Erdogan vowed to block existing and future NATO cooperation with Israel. Israel is a critical and valuable NATO partner, contributing significantly in areas such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), counter-terrorism and intelligence sharing. Erdogan’s threat to cut those ties would prevent NATO from receiving critical technology and defense information.

While participating in NATO, Erdogan has simultaneously strengthened Turkey’s ties to totalitarian and authoritarian regimes. He has abandoned Turkey’s bid to join the European Union and now aspires to join the BRICS, a group that seeks to bolster the international standing and influence of our adversaries, including Russia, China and Iran. No other NATO member has joined the BRICS, given the obvious conflicts and security concerns.

Just days before traveling to the NATO Summit in Washington, Erdogan met with his “dear friend” Vladimir Putin to reaffirm his commitment to strengthening bilateral ties and cooperation in Syria. Statements like these directly undermine US support for the defense of Ukraine against Russia’s unprovoked invasion and opposition to the Assad regime, which commits some of the worst human rights abuses on the planet.

Erdogan’s promotion of harmful, anti-democratic policies and his alignment with the axis of evil are straining relations between the United States and Turkey. If this trend continues, the United States should consider measures to ensure that Turkey complies with its NATO obligations. While maintaining NATO unity is essential, Erdogan’s recent rhetoric against Israel and friendliness toward Russia cannot be ignored. We urge the government to publicly condemn President Erdogan’s rhetoric and actions that undermine support for our key allies abroad, particularly Israel.”