‘The U.S.’s sanctions against Turkey must be ceased’, states Selma Gürkan, chairman of EMEP, but also makes a call to stand against AKP’s policies.
“The U.S.´s sanctions against Turkey must be ceased”, states Selma Gürkan, the chairman of the Labour Party (EMEP), and argues that the expansionist policies of AKP must also come to an end.
Assessing the U.S’s sanctions against Turkey, Selma Gürkan stressed that “The U.S´s decisions of sanction cannot be accepted. There cannot be any common interest between the U.S & Trump government and Turkey & peoples within the region. The U.S should put an end to the sanctions and stop interfering in Turkey and within the region. Erdoğan and his government must put an end to the expansionist and warmonger policies domestically and internationally”.
Selma Gürkan continued with the following comments:
“Erdoğan and his government is bargaining with Trump and US government for a long time over the release of the priest Brunson. As a result of these bargains, priest Brunson´s imprisonment has turned into a home detention. However, this did not solve the problem and with the U.S.’s decision to enforce sanctions, it has tuned into a political crisis.
The decision by the US Treasury Department to impose sanctions against the interior minister Süleyman Soylu and the minister of justice Abdülhamit Gül reveals that the tension between Trump and Erdoğan government will continue to escalate.
‘ANTI-IMPERIALIST WIND IS A GIANT BALOON’
Of course, the sanction decision of US, which is still the most powerful imperialist country in the world, is unacceptable. In fact, the anti-imperialist wind that Erdoğan and his capitalist government are trying to create, is a balloon of lies which is inflated by self-interested bargaining. On the other hand, the arguments that Turkey has an independent judiciary, and that the government cannot intervene is beyond being funny.
Erdoğan and his capitalist government’s call to ensure that the “interests of the two countries should not be harmed” is the reflection of this logic. There cannot be any common interests between the U.S. & Trump government with that of Turkey and the people of the region. At the most, there could be the interests of cronies who negotiate to increase their own values.
Erdoğan and the capitalist forces behind him use interventions of this kind by the U.S. and the western imperialists as a rationale for the masses to embrace the single man regime´s warmongering, expansionist policies. This logic and the political trajectory is compatible with the U.S. interests and bears no meaning other than re-marketing the country to America.
Without getting rid of this approach and these policies, it is not possible for Turkey to pursue independence and free itself from the deepening crises it has been facing. Moreover, it is crystal clear that Turkey faces the consequences of these policies. The exploited and oppressed Turkish, Kurdish and Arab people of the region suffer the results.
We call the masses of the workers and proletarians to reject this. If any sacrifice is to be made, it should made in the anti-imperialist struggle which defends the politics of peace, both domestically and internationally against the economic and commercial dominance of the imperialist countries, particularly the U.S.
Translated by: Cansu Güneş İspir
WHAT HAPPENED?
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Wednesday, the U.S. would impose sanctions on Turkish ministers of justice and interior for not releasing American Pastor Andrew Craig Brunson who faces “terrorism charges” in Turkey.
Sanders said the U.S. would block the properties, if any, of the two Turkish ministers.
In a written statement published, the U.S. Ministry of Treasury said Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gul and Minister of Interior Suleyman Soylu “played leading roles in the organizations responsible for the arrest and detention of Pastor Andrew Brunson”.
According to the U.S. law, those mentioned on the sanctions list face blocking of their properties (if they are any) and are prevented from having trade relations with the U.S.
WHO IS PASTOR ANDREW BRUNSON?
Pastor Andrew Brunson has been charged with “spying for the PKK — a designated terrorist group in the U.S. and Turkey — and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the defeated July 2016 coup attempt in Turkey”.
The American pastor was arrested in October 2016; later, the Izmir 5th Penal Court of Peace ordered on Dec. 9, 2016, Brunson’s continued detention pending trial.
On July 25, the High Criminal Court No:2 in Izmir decided to turn Brunson’s detention into house arrest in light of his health problems. (AA)
