Doğu Perinçek, the Chairman of the nationalist Patriotic Party (Vatan Partisi) who is running in the upcoming presidential election of Turkey told Mehr News Agency in an interview that “there is no limitations and barrier in expanding bilateral ties between Turkey and Syria and we should do our best to materialize this objective.”
The Turkish presidential election will be held on June 24 where 6 candidates from different political parties will vie for the position currently held by Erdogan.
The following is an excerpt from the interview originally conducted in Turkish:
Would you form an alliance with opposing parties in the upcoming election?
Our objective in the next election is victory and Vatan Party will get along with neither the party of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan nor PKK and FETÖ. We look upon this as a strategic issue because today both PKK and FETÖ are instruments manipulated by US in the region. These grouplets are the enemies of both Turkey and the countries of the region so nobody will see us along with them.
How would you steer Turkey-West relations after possible victory in the election?
Now there are two wests; one west is headed by US and another west is centered in Germany, so it is impossible to talk about one west.
It seems that Germany has changed its track from that of US and we can see this shift even in the regional developments. Germany does not support and follow Americans’ expansionist and bullying policies in the western Asia. Economically speaking, Germany is widening its distance from American policies while expanding economic ties with China, Iran, and India. We would consider these issues at the time that we come to power. Vatan Party is the first party in the world which has brought up the strategy and policy of Eurasia. We see the security and development of Turkey in Eurasiua. US is trying to push Turkey toward an economic bankruptcy and disintegration and that is why Turkey is not going to be an ally of US anymore. US will have normal ties with Turkey on the condition that it respects Turkey’s independence and territorial integrity. Anyway our policy will be based on Eurasian Union and West-Asian Union.
As you know the Syrian crisis has imposed heavy costs on the region. What strategy will you pick in regards with Syria if you win the election, considering this fact?
Turkey and Syria have shared interests and future in different areas. There are good opportunities available for the two countries in diverse areas like culture, politics and economy. And that’s why the first thing that we will do after victory in June 24 election is that we will invite Mr. Bashar al-Assad to Ankara and we will welcome him at the airport. We see no limitations and barriers in developing relations between Turkey and Syria and we will make our utmost efforts to materialize this objective.
Interview by Morteza Karimi; Translated by Yasser Nazifi Gilavan