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| Opposition parties oppose NATO radar base in Turkey |
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The leader of Turkey's Democratic Party (DP), Namik Kemal Zeybek, voiced his opposition to the Turkish government's decision and warned about its negative consequences, Press TV reported on Monday. In an interview with Turkey's TV 8 on Friday, Zeybek said NATO's decision to deploy its missile-tracking radar system on Turkish soil is aimed at monitoring Iran's moves and pitting the two neighboring countries against each other. He added that the West is seeking to cause rifts in the world of Islam as Iran has resisted its dominance in spite of heavy pressure. This comes as other opposition parties in Turkey have similarly disagreed with the plan, expressing concerns about its negative impact on the country's relations with its neighbors. The Republican People's Party (CHP), headed by Kemal Kilicdaroglu, criticized the plan and stated that it is aimed at protecting Israel in the face of Iran's missiles. The leader of People's Voice Party, Numan Kurtulmus, was also among the critics of the plan, saying that Erdogan's government opposes Israel on the one hand while agreeing to a plan that is chiefly intended to defend Israel on the other. Another Turkish politician, Mustafa Kamalak, who is the leader of Felicity Party, has additionally pointed out that Turkey's agreement with the deployment of a NATO missile defense system on its soil will distance it from its neighbors. Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal recently announced Ankara's plan to host the Western military alliance's radar system. The Turkish official said the plan, which would “boost NATO's defense capacity and strengthen [Turkey's] national defense system,” is in line with the alliance's “New Strategic Concept” adopted in a summit in Lisbon last year. Some in Iran say that Turkey's hosting an early-warning radar system is to protect Israel, IRNA cited the defense minister as saying on Thursday. "Installation of the radar system is to defend the Zionist regime since this regime is on a downhill trajectory and America has been forced to get involved directly to save it," Ahmad Vahidi said. "We will not allow any foreign forces to threaten our interests and we will strongly confront any threat," he added on the sidelines of a military parade marking the 31st anniversary of the start of a bloody eight-year war with Iraq.   Socialize this Subscribe to our RSS feed to stay in touch and receive all of TT updates right in your feed reader
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