Alliance of Turkey no alternative to alliance with MHP: Erdoğan
ANKARA
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has reiterated that his suggestion to form what he called the Alliance of Turkey is not an alternative to the ongoing alliance between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), dubbed the People’s Alliance.
“Some circles have been attempting to cause unrest by displaying the Turkey Alliance as an alternative for the People’s Alliance. Yet, the People’s Alliance is an all-out effort of ours to bring our nation together in the light of the same ideals. We established the People’s Alliance under the threat of bullets and bombs on the night of July 15,” said Erdoğan at the general assembly of Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) in capital Ankara.
He referred to a failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016 by FETÖ that left 250 dead and more than 2,500 injured.
Erdoğan had suggested the formation of the Alliance of Turkey with the participation of 82 million Turkish people to resolve the country’s fundamental problems. His suggestion was strongly rejected by MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli who expressed his concerns on the real motives of Erdoğan’s call.
Erdoğan sought to clarify what he meant by the Alliance of Turkey in his address on May 2.
“We will persist in fighting by conserving our faith, history and culture. We have been seeking to adopt the ideal of uniting all of our 82 million citizens under the name of Alliance of Turkey,” he added.
Some circles have been refraining from this alliance, according to Erdoğan, and they are the ones “walking hand-in-hand with terrorist organizations,” a reference to the Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) unofficial partnership with the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) in the municipal elections.
Erdoğan again accused the HDP of supporting the Nation’s Alliance, composed of the CHP and the Good Party, by not representing any candidates in the municipal elections in almost all big cities, including Ankara, Istanbul, the Aegean province of İzmir and the southern province of Antalya. The AKP considers the HDP as the political wing of the PKK. Ankara lists the PKK as a terrorist organization.
“You do not enter elections by orders you take from mountains,” he stated, referring to the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq where the PKK has its main base.
Traps around Turkey
Erdoğan also stated that many traps are being set in Turkey’s path, only to leave the country “indigent,” both politically and economically.
“They are trying to exact a toll from us because we are determined to protect our future and independence. We will not back down no matter what they do,” he asserted, adding that the government will continue on embracing the ideal of “a sole nation, flag, motherland and state.”
“We were never an element of provocation, and we will never become one,” Erdoğan said. He stressed that the nation’s support has been the utmost backing for the government during these difficult times, and as a result the business world has “come up with success.”
“Now, it is time to respond more strongly to the economic attacks we have been exposed to since last August,” he added.
Erdoğan reiterated his calls for 1.5 million members of the TOBB to contribute to the government’s fight against unemployment.
“If each TOBB member recruits two workers, it would make 3 million workers. That would surely help us reach our goal of generating 2.5 million jobs until the end of this year,” the president said.
