DEM members accused the Turkish soldiers of being 'occupiers' in the Parliament.

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In the General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), DEM Party Istanbul Deputy Özgül Saki criticized the Turkish Armed Forces during the budget discussions of the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Family and Social Services.

"ACCUSING OUR STATE OF COLLABORATING WITH ISIS AND AL-QAEDA"

Saadet Party Group Deputy Chairman İsa Mesih Şahin stated that they stand by the state on a national issue, saying, "He accused our state of collaborating with ISIS and Al-Qaeda, who systematically rape women; this is one. Two; 'Those who criticize Israel in Palestine are doing the same in Rojava,' he said. In other words, he accused our state of genocide and massacre. I vehemently reject this language; I do not accept this language. Which state are you talking about, friends? Are you talking about the Turkish state that embraced innocent people fleeing the Halabja massacre in Iraq?" he expressed.

"WHO BOMBED THE PARLIAMENT?"

DEM Party Group Deputy Chairman Gülüstan Kılıç Koçyiğit asked who bombed the Parliament on July 15, saying, "Whose planes bombed it? Who did you take from Akıncılar Air Base? How many thousands of soldiers were expelled from this army as FETÖ members, coup plotters? I am the first person to enter Silopi; I went there with Sebahat Tuncel and a delegation. If any curious AK Party, Future Party, or other party members want to come, the pictures I took on those walls are still there. We know how the JÖH and PÖH wrote sexist insults on the walls and in the bedrooms of women," he stated.

"ACCUSING THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY OF BEING A SMALL IMPERIALIST"

In response, AK Party Group Deputy Chairman Özlem Zengin stated that United Nations reports confirmed that 1,300 children were kidnapped by PKK and YPG in 2020 and 1,200 children in 2022, saying, "Antonio Guterres has statements on this matter. The atrocities committed by PKK and YPG against children have been reported worldwide; I want to emphasize this first. They were not the only ones who went to the region; many of our friends went there since 2015, and I also went to the region. There was not a single building without bullet holes. At that time, although they came to the Parliament as a party, they chose violence over democracy upon the orders given to them. And naturally, the Turkish army went to that region and cleared it of terrorists. Now, in the speeches being made, I see expressions like: accusing the Republic of Turkey of being a small imperialist. What kind of audacity is this, what kind of hatred for your own country is this? The Republic of Turkey, whether you realize it or not, is striving for the freedom of the people in that region, including the Kurds," he said.

"I VEHEMENTLY REJECT THE DEFINITION OF THE TURKISH ARMY AS 'OCCUPIERS'"

İYİ Party Group Deputy Chairman Turhan Çömez stated, "I vehemently reject the DEM Party Group's persistent definition of the Turkish army as 'occupiers.' I strongly reject and condemn your reaction to calling the Turkish army 'glorious' and 'Turkish army,' as my esteemed friend Mr. Şahin just expressed. You say, 'What you are doing is Kurdish hostility.' We love the Kurds in Syria as Syrian citizens, and we embrace the Kurds in Turkey as Turkish citizens and honor them. You persistently cannot distance yourselves from that damned terrorist organization. You cannot condemn the PKK terrorist organization even once from this podium, under the roof of this Parliament. I will say it once more: Since yesterday, the Americans are heavily accumulating in the regions where PYD and YPG are located in northern Syria; there are American flags everywhere. You who object to the Turkish flag, have you ever said 'no' to those imperialist flags? We love all sincere, well-intentioned Kurds who are committed to territorial integrity much more than you do," he expressed.

"WE ARE STRIVING FOR THE INTEGRITY OF SYRIA"

MHP Group Deputy Chairman Filiz Kılıç stated that they will never allow the army to be defined as occupiers as the Nationalist Movement Party Group, saying, "Just now, Gülüstan Hanım said, 'Kurds do not harbor hatred against Turks, nor do they harbor enmity.' Turks do not harbor enmity against our Kurdish brothers either. We have always emphasized this. Now, I want to express it once again. Our objection is primarily against terrorist organizations, especially the PKK. These are the terrorist organizations we have always criticized. We absolutely do not have any enmity against our Kurdish brothers. Just now, Özlem Hanım expressed it beautifully with numbers. We know the harm that the terrorist organization has caused to our children, youth, and women, and our reaction is directed at these harms. I emphasize this. The Republic of Turkey is striving for the unity, integrity, and peace of Syria. We absolutely oppose the definition of our army as occupiers; we do not accept this. I repeat: As Turkey, we are striving for Syria to be a state, to be a strong state, and to ensure its unity and integrity without making any distinctions of religion, sect, or nation," he stated.