30.05.2026 15:40
AK Party Istanbul Deputy Mehmet Salim Ensarioğlu stated that he was declared a "traitor" in the past for his ideas regarding the resolution process, but today MHP has adopted those views. Ensarioğlu announced that MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli asked for his forgiveness.
As discussions continue regarding the resolution process, AK Party Istanbul Deputy Mehmet Salim Ensarioğlu stated that views which previously led to him being declared a "traitor" are now embraced by the MHP, and that Devlet Bahçeli personally asked for his forgiveness.
"I VISITED BAHÇELİ, HE ASKED FOR MY FORGIVENESS"
Speaking to Medyascope, Ensarioğlu said the following:
“For instance, I visited Celal Adan, and he told me, ‘Mr. Bahçeli says, may he forgive us. We declared him a traitor back then. We cut off his hands and arms. Today, we have reached the point he was advocating.’ Later, I went to visit Mr. Bahçeli, and he said the same thing to me. Now we are discussing granting status to Öcalan. I am saying, ‘Let’s bring him on television. Because he is the one who founded this organization, and he is the one who will close it down.’ In other words, we cannot force this. Ultimately, when he says to lay down arms, the youth in the village will not go to the mountains.
"I WAS DECLARED A TRAITOR"
"I spoke about Öcalan on television back in 2014. I appeared on TV and said, ‘Let him call on his organization to lay down arms and dissolve itself.’ At that time, I said, ‘Let’s forgive those who never used weapons. Give a 50% reduction to those who used weapons. Send some abroad.’ I still hold the same position. Back then, I said, ‘Let Öcalan be given house arrest or a place there. Let him have advisors and secretaries. In other words, conditions should be created for him to work.’ Whether Öcalan’s room is 10 square meters or 50 square meters is not important; what matters is the cessation of weapons and disarmament. I was declared a traitor for saying these things back then.”
"A LAW MUST BE PASSED"
"Just as we say the remorse law might offend Kurds or those in the mountains, we must now think the same for Turks. This should not be exaggerated or prolonged. Because we have a saying: ‘When there is a funeral, lift it, or it will stink.’ This incident involves the deaths of 50,000 or 100,000 people. It is a major event. The law could be passed before Parliament goes into recess. Let me repeat what I said earlier: if someone who never used a weapon went to the mountains and you sentence them to 15 years in prison, they will not come down. You must forgive them through law, then they will return home. Or wherever they go, they will go there. So, in my opinion, passing that law is very important, even if not extremely urgent, and it should be done."