Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is using everything related to Europe for internal consumption, in the context of an election campaign that cultivates the anti-westernism that exists in public opinion, believes AKEL MEP and member of the Left Group in the European Parliament, Niyazi Kiziljirek. In this context, he says, he is not expected to pay any attention to the international reactions to the recent Turkish court's decision to sentence activist Osman Kavala to life imprisonment.
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency , Mr. Kiziljirek, who is one of the rapporteurs of the motion for a resolution on behalf of the Left Group on Osman Kavala, which will be put to a vote in the EP plenary on Wednesday, said that the reaction to the decision was very strong as it "shocked even the Europeans" none of whom expected Kavala to receive a life sentence.
"The reaction was and will be strong not only from the European Parliament, but also from other institutions," Kiziljirek said, noting, however, that Mr Erdogan had launched an election campaign in Turkey for internal consumption, exploiting everything related to Europe.
This is a policy with a strong, high, nationalistic tone within Turkey, further fostering the anti-Westernism that exists in public opinion, he adds.
He believes that the Turkish President will not pay any attention to interventions such as those made by MEPs on the Osman Kavala issue, as his election strategy is aimed precisely at verbal confrontation with the West.
In any case, he adds, until the elections the Turkish President does not expect any of his demands, such as the Customs Union, to be implemented.
The AKEL MEP also refers to the increased geopolitical importance of Turkey due to Russia's war in Ukraine, which, he says, Mr.
In the long term he will not be able to set the geopolitical dimension against issues of human rights violations, he notes.
Answering another question on Cyprus, Mr. Kiziljirek also says that "right now I don't know whether it is a good moment for Cyprus to appear demanding again" on issues such as the imposition of sanctions, based on what is happening with Russia's war.
"I am not sure whether the Europeans are ready to listen to Cyprus' demands at the moment," he says, concluding that "politics is also timing."
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