Opposition may get Turkey in Ukraine war if it wins: Official

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Apr 2023 08:32

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu highlights that the Turkish opposition may drag the country into the Ukraine war if it wins the 2023 Turkish parliamentary elections.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Melvut Cavusoglu speaks during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the state Department in Washington, Wednesday, Jan.18, 2023. (AP)

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said, on Wednesday, that the Turkish opposition may drag the country into the Ukraine war if it wins the 2023 Turkish parliamentary elections, given its desire to "pick a certain side and tip the balance."

On his visit to the Turkish city of Manavgat, Gavusoglu said, "We are currently pursuing a well-balanced policy [in relation to the situation in Ukraine] ... What's in it for us to support a certain side and become a party to the conflict? And those who say 'we should pick a certain side and tip the balance,' will draw our country into the war, if they come to power."

Elsewhere in his remarks, the top Turkish diplomat stressed that Turkey is not "a pawn in the games of other countries, but an autonomous country that makes its own rules."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan assured in late March that "the current government in Ankara will not allow the West to drag the country into a war against Russia."

At the time, Kilicdaroglu's foreign policy advisor, Unal Cevikoz, said as quoted by Sputnik that "the Turkish opposition is convinced that it will be able to preserve positive and balanced relations with Russia if its presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu wins."

This comes as the Turkish elections are anticipated to be the most polarized this year, determining the fate of 85 million citizens, and are supposed to be a litmus test for Erdogan's job performance. This will mark the second election since Turkey switched from a parliamentary to a presidential system following a 2017 referendum that granted him broad new powers.

At the beginning of this month, Kilicdaroglu was chosen as the main opposition candidate, and he now poses Erdogan's main electoral threat, and s already leading against Erdogan by more than 10 percentage points ahead of the elections, according to polls.