MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th May, 2023) Turkish opposition presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu intends to establish partnership and smooth relations with Russia if he wins the presidential election, Istanbul Mayor and potential Vice President Ekrem Imamoglu said on Sunday.
The second tour of the presidential election in Turkey started on Sunday at 8 a.m. local time (05:00 GMT) and voting will last until 5 p.m.
"The slogan of the founder of the Republic of Turkey (Mustafa Kemal Ataturk) was 'peace at home is peace in the world.' We would like to share this slogan first of all with Russia, because the Russian Federation as our sea neighbor is one of the most important countries in terms of population and opportunities. We would like to have smooth relations not only with Russia but also with our other neighbors... We will certainly be taking into account Turkey's interests," Imamoglu said after voting at a polling station in Insanbul's Beylikduzu district.
The mayor noted that Kilicdaroglu's team was determined to lay the foundation for cooperation with Russia at a level that suited both Moscow and Ankara. He also said that Turkey was not starting a war and was not initiating enmity with anyone.
At the same time, Kilicdaroglu has said during the campaign that he considered the Russian-proposed idea of creating a gas hub in Turkey dangerous for Ankara and threatening the country's energy independence. Before the first round, the opposition candidate claimed that there had been attempts to interfere in the election by Russia, but he did not provide any evidence.
Turkey held parliamentary and presidential elections on May 14. The first round saw incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan win 49.52% of votes and his main competitor, Kilicdaroglu, 44.88%.
