NATO was established 73 years ago against the legacy of socialism which had emerged victorious from the Second World War and to encircle the Soviet Union militarily. In 1952, by the hand of the right-wing Menderes government, Turkey was admitted to this international war and terror organization, NATO, in the third year of its foundation. The price we paid for NATO membership, in other words putting the country at the service of the military force of imperialism, was our brave people who lost their lives in Korea and their children who were left without a father. The lives of our people were worthless in the eyes of the imperialists and their lackeys. That is why Nâzım said “The 23 cent soldier” and maybe it was even less than 23 cents… Years have passed since that membership decision which had been made by bypassing the people and the Parliament, and the lives of our people are even more worthless now in the eyes of the current government.
For decades, Turkey has functioned as NATO’s most loyal gendarme, meanwhile NATO membership has always come at a great cost for our people. Our most valuable intellectuals were assassinated, our fellow citizens were massacred and our neighborhoods were destroyed all by NATO’s secret operations. Our country’s name was unfortunately mentioned in the bloodiest military operations in the world; NATO was behind the disintegration of Yugoslavia, the annihilation and abandonment of Libya and Iraq into chaos, the destruction of Afghanistan. NATO was the cause behind the nationalist rivalry and arms race between Turkey and Greece as Greece joined NATO the same year as Turkey. These days, as a result of the US’s efforts to reestablish its power in the region and the drive for NATO’s expansion to encircle Russia, the Black Sea is about to turn into a sea of war, a cause for major concern for anyone who stands on the side of peace.
Today is the seventieth anniversary of Turkey’s admission to NATO, and we do not have the patience for even seventy more days. We do not want to live with the constant threat of war in our country. We do not want governments that aim to harm the lives of other nations and the territorial integrity of other countries!
We will drive out imperialism from this country, its mafia gangs, all its armed and unarmed pawns, imperialism which exploits all the resources of this country and makes our country dependent in every aspect and impoverishes our people.
NATO has not changed since its inception; its mission is anticommunism, its mission is the repression of working class movements and the continuation of plunder and looting on behalf of imperialism. NATO is a counter-revolutionary organization, and Turkey must leave NATO immediately. All our soldiers abroad should come home; all foreign bases in Turkey must be shut down.
Down with US imperialism!
Down with NATO terror!
Long live socialism, equality, freedom and peace!