05.05.2025 18:51
After the Central Executive Board (MYK) meeting, AK Party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik stated in his remarks that they condemn the punch attack on CHP Chairman Özgür Özel. Çelik said, "We consider this despicable attack as an attack on ourselves and on democracy. The process of holding the assailant accountable before the law is something we will all follow."
The main points from the statements of AK Party Spokesperson Çelik are as follows: "Our President expressed this in the TRNC. The Turkish Cypriot cause is one of our top priorities. We will continue to take new steps regarding this. At the same time, TEKNOFEST was being held there. The gathering of the crowd there is extremely valuable; 50,000 young people from different countries participated here. There were 150,000 participants, and it was ongoing. The enthusiasm at TEKNOFEST, the interest of our young friends, and the competitions there created a completely different picture. The messages still given from the Greek side deny the acceptance of two peoples and two states on the island. No matter what anyone says, there are two peoples with sovereignty on the island. If there is going to be a dialogue ground within this framework, it will happen. We once again declare that there is no place to be reached by denying the TRNC.
Yesterday was a sad day for us. We bid farewell to our friend, our comrade, the Deputy Speaker of the Grand National Assembly, Sırrı Süreyya Önder, on his last journey. Recently, we had long sessions until midnight and early morning with him. We have known each other for many years and talked. When we came together, we had long conversations about cinema and philosophy. Recently, it was about a Turkey without terrorism. While expressing that we needed to pay a little attention to his health, he would say, 'Let's reach this conclusion first, then we can take care of it.' He was using all his effort and capacity for this. He emphasized that the process needed to conclude quickly. In the past, we had worked together during both the resolution process and the national unity and brotherhood process. Recently, this was our biggest agenda. We come from a political history where different neighborhoods have closed their ears to each other's voices. He was trying to overcome this. Undoubtedly, our views may differ, but the picture that emerged at his funeral that day showed that a majority appreciated the concerns and struggles of people from different perspectives who sought to build bridges between different identities and thoughts.
Most importantly, the consensus on a Turkey without terrorism. Our late brother Sırrı Süreyya's daughter, Ceren, gave a very high-quality and impressive speech at the commemoration at AKM. It was a message from the silent, classless crowds in the hospital corridors. People from many different backgrounds and neighborhoods came. We even saw people who disagreed with Sırrı. They said, 'We are here, we are ready, if we need to donate blood, we are ready to do so.' No matter how different our names are, our surname is the Republic of Turkey. Therefore, it was an emphasis on unity, integrity, and brotherhood. Hopefully, by reaching a Turkey without terrorism, we will have made a strong reference to the memory of Sırrı Süreyya. Once again, I extend my condolences to his valuable family, our esteemed Assembly, and the DEM Party family.
On the same day, a sad attack was carried out. A cowardly attack was made on the CHP Chairman, Mr. Özgür Özel. We condemn it once again. We have a history where politics has faced many forms of violence, both individually and institutionally. It is extremely valuable for the political institution to be united and together against all forms of violence. We evaluate the attack as an attack on the entire political institution. We consider it an attack on democracy and ourselves, and we condemn it. No matter which politician it is directed at, or which party leader it is directed at, it is an attack on all of us. We all condemn it together. It was seen that threats and ugly expressions directed at Mr. Özel's family spread on social media. Security units are closely monitoring it, and necessary actions will be taken before the law. The process of the attacker being held accountable before the law is something that needs to be followed by all of us. We once again extend our best wishes to Mr. Özel, the CHP, and the entire political institution.
After the call from İmralı, we expect the terrorist organization to dissolve itself and lay down its arms within days. The result of our President's call for strengthening the domestic front is to achieve the goal of a Turkey without terrorism. We clearly state that this will be a source of inspiration for the region. There will be a brotherhood front here against the efforts to create fault lines based on ethnic groups and sects in the region. In our close region, the Middle East, Mesopotamia, and the Mediterranean, there is a ruthless equation based on interests. We will continue our efforts to achieve the goal of a Turkey without terrorism based on strengthening the domestic front. With the concrete realization of this, the political tension over our democracy will also be lifted. The lifting of this tension will energize our democracy and political life. Every positive step will automatically call for another positive step. The disarmament of all branches of the PKK, along with its illegal elements, and its dissolution will be a turning point. After our President made the call to strengthen the domestic front from the Assembly, Mr. Bahçeli's strategic and historic call followed. The goal of a Turkey without terrorism is the policy of the Republic of Turkey. We see that various provocations are being attempted, and smoke bombs are being thrown towards the process. I would like to express that we will proceed on this path without compromising the fundamental qualities of the state, without any negotiation or bargaining process."
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