09.09.2025 14:20
Former CHP Chairman Hikmet Çetin, after the visit of MHP Deputy Chairman Feti Yıldız, responded to journalists who reminded him that "a trustee has been appointed to the Istanbul Provincial Presidency" by saying, "He stated that the appointment of a trustee is not correct."
MHP Deputy Chairman Feti Yıldız and former CHP Chairman Hikmet Çetin met in the Parliament. After the meeting, Çetin made statements to the press regarding the issue.
Evaluating the decision to temporarily suspend the management of the CHP Istanbul Provincial Presidency by court order and the appointment of a Temporary Committee, including Gürsel Tekin, and the subsequent developments, Hikmet Çetin said, "The appointment of a trustee to the Provincial Presidency is wrong. The Supreme Election Council made a mistake in my opinion. It approved the Istanbul Congress and also approved the convention. In other words, the Supreme Election Council approved both. I don't understand why it didn't cancel the trustee. Because it approved both," he said.
When asked what topics were discussed during his meeting with Feti Yıldız, Çetin replied, "We asked about each other's well-being. He is actually a very old friend of mine. I talked a little about Alparslan Türkeş," he said.
"HE SAID THE APPOINTMENT OF A TRUSTEE IS NOT CORRECT"
In response to the question, "What did Feti Yıldız say to you about the recent events, especially regarding the appointment of a trustee to the Istanbul Provincial Presidency and the lawsuit on September 15? You also expressed your views to him; what did he say?" Hikmet Çetin replied, "He said it was not correct. He said the appointment of a trustee was not correct. He is a lawyer himself," he answered.
When the same questions were repeated, Hikmet Çetin responded, "He said, 'You are our elder brother.' We all have great respect for you, including our Chairman. We can communicate," he replied.
Recalling his meeting with MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli, when asked, "It was said that you would be in contact with Feti Yıldız regarding issues related to the judicial process and the Supreme Election Council. Did you express your concerns about this situation during the meeting? Where is this going? What did Feti Yıldız say about this?" Hikmet Çetin replied, "We didn't get into those topics."
When asked, "Did the commission's work come up?" Hikmet Çetin said, "I congratulated Devlet Bahçeli. Only he could solve a 100-year-old issue, and he did. If another party had solved it in the past, they would have said, 'You are on their side, you are on this side.' Now it has settled in its place," he said. Hikmet Çetin continued:
''There are many things. First of all, what will you do with those in the mountains? My personal opinion is that you cannot forgive them within Turkey. I mean, it's a danger. If someone’s child was killed by the PKK, you never know what they will do. For that reason, my suggestion is to send them to countries like Sweden, Norway, Denmark. If everything goes normally over time, then they can be forgiven.''
"YOU WILL INTEGRATE THOSE WHO HAVE NOT BEEN INVOLVED IN ACTION"
In response to the question, "Can the leadership cadre be forgiven, or only those who have not been involved in actions?" Çetin said:
''According to the information we have, you will forgive those who have not committed any actions. Definitely. They can be forgiven inside, that is, in Turkey. According to the information we have, if someone has not been involved in any actions, has not killed anyone, etc., they will be forgiven, and you will integrate them into society. You will do integration with them. For those who are within the country, again, according to the information we have, if they have not been involved in anything, you will forgive them as well. But according to the information we have, if those in the mountains have committed actions, you cannot forgive them. They pose a significant problem for the people they face. I mean, someone might go out and shoot someone. It is unpredictable. If their child has been killed, they will do what is necessary. My suggestion for them is to talk and send them to countries like Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and require them to stay there. This needs to be considered.''
"THERE IS GREAT BENEFIT IN THE COMMISSION VISITING IMRALI"
In response to the question, "Have you received any impressions regarding this?" Hikmet Çetin said, "There is no preparation yet. Now, what will happen in Northern Syria? It is also complicated there. America is constantly looking for a state, a place that will always be on Israel's side. I think the Kurds have seen that too," he said.
Regarding Feti Yıldız's suggestion that a delegation from the National Solidarity Brotherhood and Democracy Commission established in the Turkish Grand National Assembly visit Imralı, Hikmet Çetin noted:
''I think there is great benefit in some members of this commission visiting him. I mean, it is necessary to learn from there. Now, for example, according to what I learned from foreign sources, Öcalan has had some requests. I don't know if they were written or verbal. But I learned from the British press that he has some requests. What are those requests? Nobody knows. There is no content.''
Hikmet Çetin stated that the CHP must participate in this commission, and continued:
''It wouldn't be without the Republican People's Party. For example, the mistake in the first resolution process was that they wanted to attribute it to one party. This is not a party issue. There are some national issues in the country. The Kurdish issue is one of them. Cyprus is one of them. There is no difference between parties in these matters; they are national issues. Therefore, the Republican People's Party must definitely be involved.
This does not mean that they will say 'yes' to everything. But without the Republican People's Party... In the first resolution process, the MHP was against it, in opposition. It might not have been there, but the Republican People's Party must definitely be there. This is a party established in the battlefield, not a party established in an office. This is a party that does not surrender the homeland. This is a party established before the Republic. It was established on September 9, 1923. The Republic was not yet in place. Atatürk says, 'I have two works, one is the Republic, the other is the CHP.' A CHP independent of individuals."
"KEMAL KILIÇDAROĞLU IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE TOGETHER, NOR IS HE TALKING"
In response to the question, "What do you attribute Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's silence to? Does he have hope for being a trustee? He was expected to come to Anıtkabir today, but he didn't, along with Özgür Bey," Hikmet Çetin said, "He is not going anywhere together. He is not talking either," he said.
In response to the question, "How do you interpret this? You know Kemal Bey closely," Hikmet Çetin replied, "I think he wants to return to the head of the party again. I think he has such an intention," he said.
In response to the question, "Do you think it would be good or bad?" Hikmet Çetin said, "It would be very bad. He cannot go out on the street. Don't you see? For the first time in years, after Ecevit, we found a very hardworking, very dedicated, and very brave leader," he said.