People's Alliance partners diverge on Maduro crisis

The capture and removal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife from Venezuela following a comprehensive operation carried out by the US military last Saturday has found political resonance in Turkey as well as internationally. The statements made by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli on this issue have drawn public attention.

The leaders of the two parties forming the People's Alliance displayed different approaches to the developments in Venezuela. While the assessment made by Erdoğan after the Cabinet meeting adopted a moderate and diplomatic tone, MHP leader Bahçeli attacked US President Donald Trump with very harsh expressions and characterized the events as "banditry."

'WE WILL NOT FALL FOR PROVOCATIONS' 

In his statement at the end of the cabinet meeting, Erdoğan said, 'We will, of course, not heed these, and we will not fall for ugly provocations. If necessary, we will think a thousand times and speak once, and we will always protect, safeguard, and exalt Turkey's interests. Because we carry the trust of the nation. We have the rights and responsibilities of 86 million people upon us. We bear the responsibility of hundreds of millions who have pinned their hopes on a great and strong Turkey. I always say, we carry a heavy burden. We are a government that conducts both domestic and foreign policy with principles, reason, and conscience. We are such a team. We do not approve of any action that violates political legitimacy and international law, no matter where it is in the world. In the Venezuela issue, we are striving to do what is best and most correct for both Turkey and the friendly people of Venezuela. Mr. Maduro and the people of Venezuela have shown many times that they are friends of the nation.'

BAHÇELİ'S 'PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN' ANALOGY 

MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli, on the other hand, preferred a much sharper language in his statement directed at US President Trump and the entrepreneurs behind the operation. Comparing the operation to the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' film, Bahçeli said, 'On the very second day of the second quarter of the 21st century, an incident of banditry, piracy, kidnapping, and abduction, perhaps never before encountered in history, has occurred. The Pirates of the Caribbean movie has officially taken place before the eyes of the whole world.'

Bahçeli also described the action taken against Maduro, the elected leader in Venezuela, as illegal, illegitimate, and contrary to human rights, stating, 'I condemn and denounce with hatred and violence the illegitimate and illegal attack carried out against Venezuela's President Maduro, who came to office through elections. This shame, moral destruction, lawlessness, and anti-human rights scandal is not a right for anyone.'

In the continuation of his statement, Bahçeli compared the method used in the event to the July 15 coup attempt: 'It is the first time that a head of state has been taken by force, dragged from his bed in the middle of the night with his wife, through a combined attack plan that started with an intelligence leak in his country's capital. A person was kidnapped, and a forced leadership transfer was carried out. The similarity of this extreme picture to the July 15 betrayal experienced in our country is also noteworthy.'

VENEZUELA'S JULY 15 

The MHP leader also drew a connection between the coup attempt against Turkish President Erdoğan on July 15, 2016, and the recent developments in Venezuela, stating, 'The method used in the despicable attempt directly targeting our President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan while he was in Marmaris during the uprising carried out by FETÖ is the same as the method targeting Maduro today. The FETÖ betrayal and the midnight coup in Venezuela are products of the same mold, the same project. The only difference is that one did not sleep and resisted, while the other slept and surrendered. The Venezuela issue has collapsed upon the world. How to prevent the spark that is intended to be ignited for the third world war, the roof of which is being built, has turned into the ultimate enigma.'