Sputnik News- With Turkey holding a referendum on Sunday on controversial changes to its constitution, people remain divided on whether the proposed amendments would help bring a stable government or give excessive powers to the president.

In a bid to�win the votes of�the fence-sitters, the government is strengthening ties with�Iran and Russia by�participating in�the Geneva and Astana talks on�ending the conflict in�Syria.

In an interview with Sputnik Turkey, Ankara University professor Birol Akgun said that in�President Recep Tayyip Erdogan�s desire to�cement ties with�Russia time-serving political considerations took the back seat to�a strategic vision of�a long-term partnership with�Russia.

�Turkey�s continued participation in�the Astana and Geneva talks has nothing to�do with Sunday�s referendum. Turkey highly values the ceasefire achieved thanks to�the concerted effort by�Russia and Iran, and which meets our strategic interests and long-term plans,� Birol Akgun told Sputnik Turkey.

He explained Ankara�s support for�the recent US missile attack on�a military base in�Syria by�a desire to�end� the Syrian army�s military campaign in�Idlib, which could send a new wave of�Syrian refugees running towards�the Turkish border.

�We already have about�3.5 million Syrian refugees here and more of�them coming in�could antagonize the local population. This, in�turn, could impact the outcome of�Sunday�s vote,� Professor Akgun emphasized.

He said that Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Sinsek�s upcoming visit to�Moscow reflected Ankara�s desire to�broaden trade and other economic coperation with�Russia.

�President Erdogan�s telephone linkup with�President Putin [on Thursday] underscored his desire to�have a long-term strategic partnership with�Russia. That friendly exchange, which came amid�rumors about�a new cool in�bilateral relations over�the situation in�Syria, allayed all doubts about�this,� Birol Akgun noted.

He added that many in�Turkey welcomed President Erdogan�s call to�Putin and the announcement of�Vice Premier Simsek�s planned visit to�Moscow.
�Though not directly related to�Sunday�s referendum, this could influence its outcome because all influential politicalns and reasonable people in�Turkey are holding out�for closer ties with�Russia,� Professor Akgun emphasized.


If passed, the amendments to�the constitution would dramatically expand President Erdogan's powers.

The� role as�president, which is now largely ceremonial, would become the country's chief executive, have dominant power over�the judiciary and be much more powerful than�the parliament.

Although "yes" campaigners currently slightly lead in�polls, it is hard to�make any predictions, and political tension remains high.

Since the failed coup in�July 2016, more than�130,000 teachers, civil servants, academics and state officials have been fired, and nearly 50,000 arrested.