Turkey could leave NATO in five to six months because of provocative actions against Ankara. This opinion was expressed Wednesday by Deputy Chairman of Turkey's Patriotic Party Ethem Sancak.
"The developments prompt us to take such steps. NATO is forcing us to do so with its provocations. They have been seeking to confront us with our neighbor Greece. Turkey will leave NATO in five to six months. They have been trying to get us caught in the Middle East crossfire. Finally, you can see campaigns against the Quran in Sweden and the Netherlands," Ankara's Aydinlik newspaper quoted him as saying.
According to Sancak, recent polls have shown that at least 80 percent of the Turkish population believes that "the United States is the country pursuing the most hostile and destructive policy" toward the republic. "Lately, the Turkish people have been showing sympathy for Russia and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," the politician stated.
Sancak expressed confidence that the Turkish and Syrian leaders will sit down at the negotiating table to force the US to leave Syrian territory. "We will sit down with [Syrian President Bashar] al-Assad and the leaders of neighboring countries and sign a peace agreement. We must immediately expel the terrorist organizations and the US from Syrian territory. Syrians and Turks are brotherly peoples. Syrians are the closest Arab people to us. We must ensure the safe return of refugees to our countries. I don't think al-Assad will be against their return. We can rebuild Syria together," he added.
Meanwhile, on January 19, the Patriotic Party announced the beginning of a nationwide campaign "Let's Leave NATO" with an appeal to the authorities of the republic to leave the North Atlantic Alliance. As part of this campaign, the political movement is planning to set up tables at squares in a number of cities to sign petitions, and there will be rallies and protests against NATO bases in Turkey. Party leader Dogu Perincek stated that "a strong NATO means a strong threat to Turkey."
The Patriotic Party has traditionally held anti-American positions. It has repeatedly called on the Turkish authorities to close US military bases on Turkish territory, withdraw their request to buy American F-16 fighter jets and withdraw from NATO.
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Based on materials from TASS