Erdogan wanted to turn Turkey into Iran, and there’s no room for another Iran

Former president Shimon Peres expressed optimism on Monday after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party failed to win an outright majority in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, seemingly thwarting his plan to gain more power by changing the country’s constitution and creating a powerful US-style presidency.

 

Speaking at the IDC’s 15th Annual Herzliya Conference, under the banner of “Israel in a turbulent Middle East,” Peres said, “I am happy about what happened in Turkey – Erdogan wanted to turn Turkey into Iran, and there is no room for two Iran’s in the Middle East.”

 

Peres called the Turkish election results, in which Erdogan’s party won just over 40 percent of the vote and will be forced to cobble together a coalition with opposition parties, “a positive trend for Israel and the Middle East.”

 

The former president also expressed cautious optimism in regard to the emerging deal with Iran, saying that the measure of the deal is not just how many centrifuges Iran is allowed to retain, but how many countries are party to the deal and part of efforts to make sure Iran upholds its commitments.

 

Read More: Peres: Erdogan wanted to turn Turkey into Iran, and there’s no room for another Iran – Middle East – Jerusalem Post