6 yıl önce

Turkey's presidential spokesperson talks Syria, economy and early elections

Turkey's presidential spokesperson and advisor Ibrahim Kalin says Turkey's upcoming elections is not a result of a struggling economy but it will help it "in other ways."

TRTWorld

Turkish presidential spokesperson and advisor Ibrahim Kalin on an in-depth interview with TRT World in Istanbul, Turkey, June 20, 2018.

Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin told TRT World on Wednesday the country's upcoming election is "free and fair" where all candidates are freely campaigning without any disruptions.

Kalin said the election was not a calculated move from the Justice and Development (AK) Party, not owing to any hitch in the economy or national security policies. The spokesperson added that the country's economy is "overall strong" but there are actions to be taken to sustain its currency.

Speaking on Turkey's foreign policy and criticism from abroad he said Turkey faces a number of challenges and fights against various terrorist organisations that threaten the nation's security.

"We are dealing with PKK terrorism, we are dealing with Daesh or ISIS terrorism, we have avoided a coup attempt less than two years ago, we are dealing with FETO terrorists who carried out this coup attempt and [we are dealing with] a number of other security challenges," the spokesperson said.

According to Kalin, joining the European Union remains a priority for Turkey but "it takes two to tango."

He said Turkey's bid to join the European bloc will move forward only if the EU implements its part of the EU-Turkey refugee deal and lift visa restrictions for Turkish nationals.