Turkey’s isolation in eastern Mediterranean crisis is evidence of AKP’s failure: former Erdogan ally Davutoglu
ANKARA, Turkey (North Press) – The former Turkish Prime Minister and Chairman of the opposition Future Party, Ahmet Davutoglu, considered Turkey’s unilateralism in the eastern Mediterranean crisis as evidence of the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) failure in diplomacy.
The Turkish newspaper Zaman quoted Davutoglu, commenting on the tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, as saying that that countries that conflict with their interests in the region have united their ranks against Turkey, stressing that Turkey’s solitary defense of a “just cause” marks the party’s failure in diplomacy.
Davutoglu welcomed the invitation of the former chairman of the Kurdish-led People’s Democratic Party Selhattin Demirtas, who was imprisoned about four years ago, for an alliance between the opposition political leaders.
“I am never ashamed to meet with political leaders with whom I had a severe political dispute in the past,” he stated, adding, “I think it is right for the future of the country to meet every person who believes in democracy in Turkey as a principle and has succeeded in distancing himself from terrorism.”
Demirtas, who was detained four years ago, called in a press interview conducted through his lawyer for an alliance of opposition forces to stand against the ruling party led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Demirtas said that the opposition forces must form a coalition that overlooks the mistakes of the past and benefits freedoms in Turkey.
Demirtas said that the leaders of the opposition parties should ignore the differences of the past, adding that the difference of opinions and intellectual pluralism is a healthy democratic matter that does not prevent the alliance of opposition forces, and stressing that policies should not conflict with humanity.
In previous criticism of the performance of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government, Davutoglu said that his country risks entering into a military confrontation in the eastern Mediterranean because it gives priority to brute force over diplomacy.
Davutoglu, a former ally of Erdogan, explained that “unemployment rates among the youth have reached 30%, foreign currencies are breaking records against the lira in succession, and inflation rates have exceeded 13%.”
Davutoglu called on Erdogan to hold a televised debate to answer the accusations directed against his party, and to put forward political alternatives to the government’s mistakes.
It is noteworthy that since the establishment of his new party a few months ago, Davutoglu has not stopped harshly criticizing his former ally, amid expectations that the Future Party will attract some of the ruling party’s current members.
Davutoglu expressed his annoyance at the state that Turkey has reached due to Erdogan’s policies, as the countries whose interests’ conflict in the eastern Mediterranean have united their ranks against Turkey.