NATO, when required, carries out disaster relief operations and missions in response to natural or humanitarian disasters. In response to the devastating earthquakes in Turkey in February 2023, NATO established temporary shelters for thousands of people and coordinated an airbridge to deliver vital supplies from allies and partners.

The mission, complying with the general principles of International Humanitarian Law, acted in a very unstable political environment, considering the strategic position of Turkey as a powerful state in the Mediterranean Sea and a member of the Alliance.

This paper analyses the legal framework in which the mission has been acting, and its conformity to it,as well as its political implications in the light of the complex diplomatic relations between Turkey, United States, and NATO.