Relationship dossier
Turkey
Czech Republic
Relationship assessment
NATO allies with a strategic partnership and episodic disputes over Kurdish politics and Turkey’s EU accession.
Turkey toward Czech Republic
+15Turkey has engaged the Czech Republic through a bilateral strategic partnership and allied cooperation. In 2018, Turkey sought the extradition of Kurdish politician Salih Muslim after his arrest in the Czech Republic, a request that the Czech authorities did not grant.
Czech Republic toward Turkey
+10The Czech Republic has supported Turkey’s EU accession process and participates in allied cooperation with Turkey. In 2018, Czech authorities released Kurdish politician Salih Muslim rather than extraditing him to Turkey, drawing criticism from the Turkish government.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship combines a bilateral strategic partnership and NATO cooperation with recurring political differences, including disputes over Kurdish political activity and the pace of Turkey’s EU accession. The 2018 extradition dispute illustrates that these differences can strain otherwise cooperative ties.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Turkey and the Czech Republic maintain cooperative ties as NATO allies, including a bilateral strategic partnership, while disputes have arisen over Kurdish politics and Turkey’s EU accession. In 2018, Czech authorities released Kurdish politician Salih Muslim despite Turkey’s request for his extradition, prompting Turkish criticism. These points indicate cooperation alongside episodic friction, but the breadth and implementation of bilateral arrangements are unclear.
Areas of tension
- Turkey’s EU accession process and its pace.
- Czech authorities’ 2018 release of Salih Muslim despite Turkey’s extradition request.
Key developments
Turkey and the Czech Republic established a bilateral strategic partnership.
Czech authorities released Salih Muslim after Turkey sought his extradition, prompting Turkish criticism.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of the bilateral strategic partnership are unclear.
- The extent of recent bilateral cooperation beyond NATO and political consultations is unclear.