TKP and KKE statements on Erdogan's visit to Greece

On Erdoğan's visit to Greece and meeting with Tsipras, the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) and Communist Party of Greece (KKE) made statements underlining that the peoples of both countries need to struggle against imperialism and nationalism.

ICP, 8 December 2018

On the occasion of the official visit of the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Greece (7-8 December) and meeting with Prime Minister of Greece Alexis Tsipras, Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) and the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) issued statemes. 
 
According to the website soL, Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) underlined that both governments are having difficulties in internal politics, indicating that they have agreed to divert the attention of the people in Turkey and Greece whose actual enemies are the exploiters.
 
On the website In Defence of Communism, the statement of the CC of the KKE was issued, expressing that both people must be vigilant because the imperialist wars are waged for the profits of monopoly groups and the struggle of the people needs to be strengthened in both sides of the Aegean in order to counterfight nationalism.

The statements are as follows:

 

COMMUNIST PARTY OF TURKEY:

Erdoğan and Tsipras struck a bargain

President Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Greece cracked the magnitude of the assault on both country’s toiling masses wide open once again.

Skip the grinning faces they showed in front of the cameras, the empty talk about good neighborliness and friendly ties between the countries. Everybody knows that real friendship is not possible in an imperialist world; the world of hypocrites, those who always wear a mask.

They do not try to deceive each other but the peoples.

Erdoğan visited Greece and beat around the bush about the Treaty of Lausanne. While uttering these words, he used a tone which would be appealing to “nationalist” sentiments.

Tsipras replied with the same attitude and proved how a government that prostitutes itself as “left-wing” can actually take part in a contest of nationalisms.

In other words, Erdoğan and Tsipras struck a bargain about an issue: considering the fact that both of these governments are having difficulties, that both have been in a tight corner in internal politics, they agreed to divert the attention of people by keeping the tensions between Turkey and Greece alive.

Another issue on which Erdoğan and Tsipras agreed is to have the capitalist classes of both countries, which are actually competing with each other at regional scale, to cooperate in exploiting the cheap labor force, in creating new areas of investment and in plundering natural resources.

In terms of the refugee problem, Turkish and Greek governments are both seeking to gain a political leverage vis-à-vis the terrible tragedy caused by imperialist designs in the Middle East.

On the other hand, the so-called left-wing government of Greece has assumed the role of defending NATO against Erdoğan’s anti-American demagogy.

In brief, both envisage nationalism, racism and the threat of war for people, and greater profits for the capitalists to whom they serve.

Erdoğan and Tsipras, and the forces which stand behind them should know that we will not give them this chance!

The peoples of both countries are friends and neighbors indeed! And their enemy is the exploiters, the capitalists, the imperialists, the NATO.

We will overcome them together.

 
Κομμουνιστικο Κομμα Τουρκιας
Ανακοινωση Τυπου
 
Ερντογαν και Τσιπρας συμφωνησαν
 
Η επισκεψη του Προεδρου Δημοκρατιας της Τουρκιας, Ταγιπ Ερτντογαν, στην Ελλαδα επιδεικνυει για μια ακομη φορα στους εργαζομενους των δυο χωρων την επιθεση με την οποια ειναι αντιμετωποι.
Δεν μας ξεγελανε τα χαμογελα μπροστα στις καμερες και τα παραμυθια περι φιλιας και καλων γειτονικων σχεσεων. Ολοι γνωριζουμε οτι στον ιμπεριαλιστικο κοσμο δεν υπαρχει πραγματικη φιλια. Αυτος ο κοσμος ειναι ο κοσμος των μασκοφορων και των διπλοπροσωπων ανθρωπων.
Δεν προσπαθουν να κοροιδεψουν τους εαυτους τους αλλα τους λαους.
Ο Ερντογαν πηγε στην Ελλαδα και εθεσε το αιτημα αναθεωρησης της Συνθηκης της Λωζαννης με τονους που απευθυνονται σε καθαρα "εθνικιστικα" συναισθηματα. 
Παρομοια προσεγγιση ειχε και η απαντηση που εδωσε ο Αλεξης Τσιπρας. Μας εδειξε οτι μια κυβερνηση που πλασαρεται ως αριστερη, ειναι εξισου ικανη να συναγωνιστει στην "εθνικιστικη κουρσα". 
Ειδαμε δηλαδη τους Ερντογαν και Τσιπρα να συμφωνουν σε ενα θεμα. Οι δυο κυβερνησεις Τουρκιας και Ελλαδας που ειναι εσωτερικα "στριμωγμενες" και επιτιθενται ακομα πιο βιαια κατα των εργαζομενων για να ξεπερασουν τις δυσκολιες που αντιμετωπιζουν, να συμφωνουν στο να συντηρουν  τις εντασεις και τα αποτραβουν την προσοχη των λαων σε αλλη κατευθηνση.  
Ενα αλλο θεμα στο οποιο συμφωνησαν ειναι: οι ανταγωνιζομενες  καπιταλιστικες ταξεις των δυο χωρων της περιοχης να εκμεταλλευονται την φθηνη εργατικη δυναμη, να συνεργαζονται για να δημιουργουν καινουριους επενδυτικους χωρους και να λεηλατουν τους φυσικους πορους.
Οσο για το προσφυγικο ζητημα, οι κυβερνησεις Τουρκιας και Ελλαδας απεναντι στη τραγωδια που γενανε τα ιμπεριαλιστικα σεναρια για τη Μεση Ανατολη, καταβαλλουνε προσπαθεια για να αρπαξουνε πολιτικες "ευκαιριες". 
Η δηθεν αριστερη κυβερνηση της Ελλαδας απεναντι στην αντι-αμερικανικη δημαγωγια του Ερντογαν ανελαβε το ρολο υπερασπισης του ΝΑΤΟ. 
Με λιγα λογια και οι δυο υποσχονται μπολικο εθνικισμο, ρατσισμο, απειλες πολεμου για το λαο και μπολικα κερδη για τα αφεντικα. 
Κυριοι Ερντογαν και Τσιπρα και οι δυναμεις που σας στηριζουνε, δεν θα σας δωσουμε αυτην την ευκαιρια!
Οι λαοι των δυο χωρων εχουν πραγματικα φιλικες και καλες γειτονικες σχεσεις. Εχθρος τους ειναι οι καπιταλιστικες δυναμεις, τα αφεντικα και ο ιμπεριαλισμος. Μαζι θα τα καταπολεμισουμε. 
 
 
COMMUNIST PARTY OF GREECE (KKE):
 
People in both countries must be vigilant
 
The visit of the President of Turkey T.Erdogan in our country did not confirm whatsoever the environment that the SYRIZA-ANEL government was uncourteously cultivating during the previous days by naming the visit as "historical". After all, it wouldn't be different, when only within 2017 the violations of the Greek airspace and maritime waters are thousands, while just before his visit, during an interview, the President of Turkey restored all the new provocations and assertions against the country, with the peak being the demand for the revise of the Treaty of Lausanne. 
 
Moreover, the Erdogan visit gave the opportunity to the Turkish leadership, which occupies the 40% of Cyprus and has now invided in Syrian territories, to set the total framework of the Turkish demands, through the revision of the Lausanne Treaty, to project its persistence on the "grey zones" in the Aegean, to intervene in Thrace thus seeking the utilization of the muslim minority- which is comprised by Greek citizens- for the benefit of the interests of the Turkish bourgeoisie also according to the practice it follows in other regions of the Balkans and the Middle East.
 
Practically, the visit prepared by the SYRIZA-ANEL government upgraded Turkey's assertions against the sovereign rights of our country and this poignant result cannot "washed out" by the promotion of economic agreements between parts of the Greek and Turkish capital from which the people have nothing to win. 
 
The KKE estimations are confirmed and once again it is proved that the integration and connection of the two countries in the imperialist organisations of NATO and the EU do not help peace and security for the people. The government, as well as the other bourgeois parties that support the Euroatlantic and capitalist "one-way" route of the country bear responsibility because they misdirect the people that, within round-tables and businesses, the problems will be solved for the benefit of the people. 
 
Our people must not be content with the fairy tales that SYRIZA and the other bourgeois parties are saying that supposedly through diplomatic manipulations- either through "zeibekiko" dances, "best man" relations* or through the development of various business plans- will overcome problems that are connected to deeper causes and powerrful competitive interests. 
 
The working people, the people in both countries, must be vigilant, because the imperialist war, which is waged for the profits of monopoly groups, is, like economic crises, nextricably bound up with this barbaric capitalist system.
 
The struggle of the people needs to be strengthened in both sides of the Aegean, in order to counterfight nationalism, every intent for border change, every change of international treaties that leads to the bloodshed of the people. The struggle must be strengthened, so that the conditions will be created to end, once and for all, the causes that create war".
 
* Note by IDC: In June 2001, the then Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou had performed a zeibekiko dance, in front of his clapping Turkish counterpart Ismael Cem, on the sidelines of a meeting. A few years later, Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis attended the wedding of the son of the then Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, being one of the groom's "best man".