İYİ Party critical for Moscow protocol, says leader

ANKARA

AA Photo

Opposition İYİ (Good) Party leader Meral Akşener has criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for a March 5 cease-fire deal agreed between Ankara and Moscow, suggesting it was Russia that gained an advantage in Idlib province of Syria.

“With the Moscow protocol, [Syrian leader Bashar al-] Assad remained in place; he did not withdraw even by a meter. Our observation points remained entrusted to God, like uninhabited islands in the middle of a sea. A 30-km safe zone turned into 12-km safe corridor,” she said, speaking at her party’s parliamentary group meeting.

She stressed that the Moscow protocol was a temporary solution. The Turkish government should talk to opposition parties before taking a step about Syria since the case is about Turkey’s national security, Akşener stated.

“It was Russia and Assad who martyred our soldiers, and we were the ones going to Putin’s door. We Turks have lost many wars in our history, but we have not left our dignity at any door. We lost our 600-year-old state, but we did not lose our dignity,”

“You went. You assented to wait at the doors, and you thanked for being accepted. Your friend [Russian President Vladimir] Putin served Russian media the footage you were waiting in front of the door and disgraced us,” she said, referring to a video broadcast by a Russian TV channel purportedly showing the Turkish president-led delegation kept waiting for two minutes in Moscow.

Russia and Turkey agreed on March 5 on a ceasefire in the de-escalation zone in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, after talks between Putin and Erdoğan.