Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who is running as a candidate for parliament on May 14, accused the opposition of trying to drag the country into the war.
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“We are now pursuing a balanced policy … Why do we need to support one particular side in a war and become a party to the conflict? But those who say – “we will take a certain side, upset the balance” – if they come to power, then God forbid – will drag the country into a war,” Cavusoglu said during a speech in Manavgat in the south of the country.
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He noted that Ankara should not support one side in the conflict, even though Turkey did not recognize the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Federation.
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He stressed that Turkey is not a “pawn” on the gaming tables of other countries, Ankara now “creates the rules of the game” itself.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the end of March that he would not allow the West to drag his country into a war against Russia.
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The Turkish opposition is confident that it will be able to maintain good and balanced relations with Russia if its presidential candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu comes to power, but will remind that Turkey is a member of NATO, Unal Ceviköz, the candidate’s foreign policy adviser, said earlier.
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Presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey are scheduled for May 14. The final list of candidates included the incumbent head of state, 69-year-old Erdogan as a single candidate from the “Republican Alliance”, a single candidate from the opposition “People’s Alliance” 74-year-old Kemal Kilicdaroglu, as well as the leader of the Memleket party, 58-year-old Muharrem Ince and 55-year-old Ata alliance candidate Sinan Ogan. The results of pre-election research do not yet reveal the favorite of the upcoming elections between Erdogan and Kılıçdaroglu, various polls show figures in favor of both.
