The War in Ukraine and the Role of Turkey

By Erhan Nalçacı

The beginning of the war in Ukraine should perhaps be taken as 2014, but in this article [1] we will focus on the period starting with the Russian intervention into Ukrainian territory in February 2022. The war in Ukraine did not take place between two nation states, Ukraine was put forward as a proxy of NATO, in other words of imperialist Euro-Atlantic bloc, so the war took place between NATO and Russia. But more generally, Ukraine was a front in the war of imperialist division, which is a product of the imperialist rivalry that has now taken over the world, a war that has not yet become total.

TKP General Secretary Kemal Okuyan: War is knocking Middle East's door

Recent article by Kemal Okuyan, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), published on soL News Portal on August 2, 2024.

 

Here is the reality: War is knocking at the door

Israel wants a full-scale conflict. Its interests and the fanaticism it constantly nurtures require that. It believes that it has seized a favourable opportunity to consolidate and expand the territories it has occupied. 

Communist Party of Turkey on anniversary of deadly earthquake: "We will not forget, we will not forgive"

In a statement on the first anniversary of the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit South Eastern Turkey and Syria in February 2023, leading to at least 54,000 deaths, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) stresses out:

"We remember the great disaster like it was yesterday.

How can we forget the thousands of people who died under the rubble while the state was completely absent, who were displaced from their homes and left to despair, how can we forget our neighborhoods, our districts, our labor, our history. 

The struggle against NATO cannot be postponed — Statement by the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP)

Following Tayyip Erdogan's "green light" for Sweden's accession to NATO within the framework of the imperialist alliance's Summit in Vilnius, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) issued a statement:

"It is only a matter of time before NATO, the world’s largest terrorist organisation, expands to include one more country.

We cannot be expected to remain indifferent to Sweden’s membership of NATO. Our interest does not only come from our responsibility to fight against the role of our own government in the oppression of the peoples of other countries. 

The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) on Erdogan's re-election: No room for pessimism, we 'll be victorious

In a statement for Tayyip Erdogan's victory in the second round of the Turkish presidential elections, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) points out:

"Those who are trying to squeeze the struggle of this people into the ballot box should shut up from now on!

The results of the second round of the presidential elections have been largely finalized. Of course, it cannot be said that what emerged as the outcome of the elections, which were pointed to determine the fate of Turkey, is a hope for a bright future.

Communist Party of Turkey (TKP): Go to the ballots, Say “NO” to Erdogan!

On Sunday 28 May, the people of Turkey will vote in the 2nd round of the presidential election, between the two contestants, current President Rejep Tayyip Erdoğan and his opponent Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. 

 

In fact, both Erdoğan and Kılıçdaroğlu, despite their particular differences, are competing over who will serve better the interests of the Turkish monopolies, aiming at the reconstruction of the country's capitalist economy in favor of the big capital. 

 

Statement of the Communist Party of Türkiye on the result of the May 14 elections

Statement of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) on the outcome of the May 14 Election:

Defeating the AKP by becoming like the AKP was a great illusion and deceiving the people. The so-called Nation Alliance is the subject of this illusion and the effort to deceive the people.

AKP, on the other hand, has been deceiving the country for more than 20 years. 

Communist Party of Turkey (TKP): Vote for exiting from NATO, not for NATO enlargement!

Statement by the CC of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) on Turkish Parliament's ratification of Finland’s accession to the imperialist alliance of NATO:

Vote for exiting from NATO, not for NATO enlargement!

Today the Parliament will vote on NATO enlargement. The general assembly of the Parliament will discuss the bill ratifying the protocol on Finland’s accession to NATO.

Communist Party of Turkey declares its electoral position: "1 Vote Against Erdoğan, 1 Vote For TKP"

The Communist Party of Turkey has declared that all revolutionary, socialist and communist forces representing Turkey’s anti-imperialist, secular accumulation, who have a clear stand against domestic and foreign capital should enter the 14th of May parliamentary elections under a common electoral alliance. 

 

Our party has intensified its work in this regard and made various contacts.

Turkish communists condemn Erdogan's attack in Syria and north Iraq

In a statement concerning the air strikes of the Turkish Armed Forces on Kurdish settlements in Syria and Iraq, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) stresses out:

"Following the bombing attack on Istanbul’s Istiklal Street last week, the Turkish Armed Forces has been conducting air strikes on Kurdish settlements in Syria and Iraq since last night. Alleging that this operation is carried out on the pretext of “defense”, the AKP government is once again concealing the truth.

KKE on Erdogan's provocations: NATO, US and EU fuel Turkish aggression

In a statement concerning the provocative statements of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in the United Nations, the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) points out:

“Erdogan's delirium at the UN General Assembly, where he presented the entire range of claims by the Turkish ruling class against Greece and Cyprus, cannot be interpreted as a pre-electoral tactic, nor as a product of Turkey's alleged isolation. 

Down with Erdogan's repression: Solidarity to Turkish communists and Gezi Park protesters

Source: haber.sol.org.tr

Once again, the government of Rejep Tayyip Erdogan resorts to violent repression against protesters, young men and women who resist his authoritarian regime.

On the 9th anniversary of the Gezi Park protests, known as June Resistance, dozens of people were detained following a police attack against protesters in Taksim, Istanbul. Among the detainees are 16 members of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) and its youth. 

Turkey: 8th anniversary of the Gezi Park protests

The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) made a statement on the 8th anniversary of the civil resistance that started in Taksim’s Gezi Park in June 2013.

Stating that the June Resistance was a people's movement in which secular and patriotic sensibilities were determinant from beginning to end, TKP drew attention to the fact that the hope and confidence that the people aroused through this resistance were tried to be extinguished in the halls of order politics.

KKE: Statement on Cavusoglu-Dendias meeting in Ankara

On Thursday 15 April, the Foreign Ministers of Turkey and Greece, Mevlut Çavuşoğlu and Nikos Dendias respectively, hold a meeting in Ankara where they discussed major issues concerning the relations between the two countries.

In a statement about the meeting, the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) points out:

Our people cannot and should not become complacent about the meeting of Foreign Minister N. Dendias with President Erdoğan and Foreign Minister M. Çavuşoğlu in Ankara, following the “exploratory talks” between the two NATO allies.

Turkish communists in Germany: Petition against Erdogan's decision to withdraw Turkey from Istanbul Convention

The Germany branch of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) has launched a petition against the recent decision of Erdogan's AKP government to withdraw Turkey from Istanbul Convention.

In a declaration the TKP Party organization in Germany points out that "AKP does not have the legitimacy to draw the boundaries of womens' right to life and living space in this country", adding that "it should not be forgotten that in Turkey, where feminicide and violence against women are on the rise, all reactionary sects and religious communities, together with the AKP, targeted the Istanbul Convention". 

Erdogan Vs Women: Turkish communists on the front line of the struggle for women's rights

In the early hours of March 20, Turkey's government issued a decree deciding to pull out of the Istanbul Convention to combat the violence against women. Although the AKP government was giving signs of this decision earlier and peaked the debate in August 2020, by lobbying against the Convention, the decree came as a sudden decision after midnight and sparked tension.

Hundreds of women took to the streets on Saturday afternoon, declaring the decision as an attack of the AKP government against the health and lives of the women in Turkey. Several protests were organized in different cities of the country. While Erdogan's cabinet and pro-AKP circles celebrated the decision, the progressive organizations and opposition groups condemned the decision.

Turkey's communists filed complaint against Erdogan for the torture of protesters at Bogazici University

The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) filed complaints against President Erdogan, the minister of interior Süleyman Soylu and his spokesperson, fascist party leader Bahçeli, and the police that tortured the protesters during Bogazici resistance.

Turkish police detained 159 students on the 1st of February, trying to prevent the protests against the newly appointed pro-AKP president of the Bogazici University. The protests at Bogazici University started right after Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appointed the new rector on January 2 and continued with the participation of students, university staff, and citizens. Protests spread nationwide and further reactions from the right-wing politicians continue to come.

Greek-Turkish relations are entangled in wider imperialist competition and plans

Eliseos Vagenas, member of the CC and head of the section of International Relations of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) was interviewed by soL news concerning the new round of exploratory talks between Turkey and Greece. The full interview is the following:

The AKP government has made almost a U-turn regarding the relations with the EU, and Erdoğan has totally changed his hostile attitude towards some European leaders. As the people of Turkey, we are very much used to these radical maneuvers of the Erdoğan government. But how was this move interpreted in Greece?

Solidarity with the students in Istanbul's Bogazici University — Statement by the Communist Youth of Turkey

Once again, the reactionary regime of Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey has shown its repressive and authoritarian face. This time, the target of police violence are the students of Boğaziçi University who protest against the appointment of Melih Bulu, known for his close ties to the ruling party AKP, as the new rector of the institution. 

Melih Bulu has held various managerial positions within the AKP since 2002. He was a mayoral candidate in 2009 as well as a candidate for parliamentary deputy position from the AKP in the 2015 elections. 

AKEL condemns Erdogan's provocative visit to occupied Cyprus

In a statement concerning the provocative visit of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in the occupied territories of Cyprus and especially to the abandoned city of Famagusta, the Press Office of the Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL) points out:

"AKEL unequivocally condemns the provocative visit of Tayyip Erdogan to the occupied territories, the celebrations for the 37th anniversary of the proclamation of the so-called “TRNC” and the “picnic” planned tomorrow within the fenced off city of Famagusta.