Kilicdaroglu: We do not support the ruling government; we support Turkey
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of Turkey’s Republican People’s Party (CHP), commented on the Mecca Agreement, the process called “Turkey without terrorism,” and intra-party developments.
In response to a question about why the party voted yes on the Mecca Agreement, Kilicdaroglu said they had proposed the establishment of a “Middle East Peace and Cooperation Organization” four to five years ago.
He stressed that Turkey must play an active role in international cooperation in order to become a regional power. According to him, if Turkey limits itself to its borders and withdraws from agreements that serve the interests of regional countries, it cannot play a decisive role in regional developments and will fall behind the new global order.
Reacting to criticism that support for the Mecca Agreement means support for the ruling government, Kilicdaroglu stated: “We do not support the government; we support the Republic of Turkey.”
Kilicdaroglu said there is no such plan regarding claims that Turkey will send military forces to Yemen. He also reported an online conversation with Yemen’s foreign minister and said: “We are not going there to fight; on the contrary, we want to restore peace and calm to the region.”
In response to a question about the possibility of authorizing the deployment of forces, he declared his opposition to such a step and added that Turkish forces might be sent to train forces of other countries, but he does not accept their presence for the purpose of fighting. According to him, the blood of Turkish soldiers should not become a bargaining chip at the negotiating table.
Regarding the process the government calls “Turkey without terrorism,” Kilicdaroglu said that if this process faces an obstacle, responsibility will lie with the PKK.
Referring to the steps Turkey and parliament have taken to resolve this issue, he stressed that the problem can be solved with the complete surrender of weapons. Kilicdaroglu described this issue as beyond the concern of a single political party and as a matter concerning the entire Republic of Turkey. According to him, joint decisions have been made in parliament, and based on them the necessary powers have been delegated to the government administration.
He continued: “One should not worry excessively about the process taking too long. It is better for this process to take a little longer but for the issue to be resolved in the end, rather than for the process to be disrupted.”
Kilicdaroglu rejected the possibility that the Republican People’s Party will face a problem in passing the election threshold, saying the party has a strong social base and ideology.
Kilicdaroglu did not consider it correct to raise the issue of the CHP’s presidential election candidate early. He said the main priority should be the economic and social problems of citizens, and raising the presidential candidate issue early could distract society from the country’s real issues. He stressed that the party will decide on its candidate at the appropriate time.
