Leader of the People’s Republic Party Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, a key opponent of Turkey’s incumbent leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of the presidential election, said in an interview with the Financial Times on Friday that he would revive his country’s EU membership negotiations if he wins,
Financial Times reports.
Kılıçdaroğlu told the FT that he would immediately move towards resurrecting Turkey’s EU membership talks. He also pledged that Turkey would maintain economic relations with Russia, even though he himself and his allies "do not find" Russia’s conducting its special military operation "right."
He vowed to reverse a slide toward autocracy, restore democratic institutions and start solving the country’s economic problems, if he is elected president.
"Independence of the judiciary, freedom of the media, freedom of expression, all these need to come back," Kılıçdaroğlu told the newspaper. "[Our priorities] will be the economy and democracy." The nation "cannot afford to lose another five years" to Erdogan, he added.
The opposition leader also doubted the presidential election would be held without any violations. "We will not allow [the vote] to be stolen," Kilicdaroglu vowed. According to him, "We absolutely do not trust either Erdogan or the High Election Council. Therefore, we have been working for a year-and-a-half to ensure security at all ballot boxes."
