27.01.2026 15:33
DEVA Party Co-Chairs Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan visited CHP Chairman Özgür Özel at the CHP Headquarters. After the visit, Özel made statements, saying, "We see Turkey's peace intertwined with Syria's peace. As we have always said, we need to prioritize dialogue and solutions in Syria as well."
DEM Party Co-Chairs Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan visited CHP Chairman Özgür Özel.
The meeting, which took place behind closed doors at the CHP Headquarters, lasted for 1 hour. After the meeting, a joint press conference was held. CHP Chairman Özgür Özel stated that the Parliament went on a mid-term break at the request of the Justice and Development Party when it should have been open, saying, "We did not find it right at all for the Parliament to close while there was such an important agenda regarding retirees last week and while developments were taking place in Syria, with such significant tensions in foreign and domestic politics. However, the Justice and Development Party insisted on us not signing, and despite the opposition parties' objections, they put the Parliament on break. Of course, having the Parliament closed while such important agendas are being experienced does not mean that politics stops or becomes insensitive. Due to such a need and the process we are in, the valuable delegation of the DEM Party visited us. We had very beneficial exchanges of views with them," he said.
"WE SEE TURKEY'S PEACE INTERCONNECTED WITH SYRIA'S PEACE" Özel emphasized that politics is done to talk and produce solutions, stating, "Politics is not done through separations, fights, and conflicts; it is done to build the future through peace, brotherhood, and friendship. From the moment the process began in Turkey and throughout all the processes where we closely followed developments in Syria, we saw Turkey's peace intertwined with Syria's peace. To think, imagine, or plan anything outside of this is not compatible with reason and logic. We are in favor of a solution that ensures stability in Syria as soon as possible; one that encompasses Turkmen, Arabs, Kurds, Druze, and Alawites, and guarantees constitutional security, establishing peace in Syria. This situation will also contribute to Turkey's peace. I have said it before. Having a border line does not eliminate the brotherhood on both sides. Just as there are relatives living on both sides of the border, we need to see that Turkmen, Kurds, and Arabs all have relatives, and the law that can arise between us is only the law of brotherhood. There are 6-8 million Arabs living in Turkey, but sometimes the turmoil in Syria; the internal migration it creates; and the refugee problems in Turkey seem to raise an Arab hostility. We live together with our Kurdish brothers as founding elements of the Republic of Turkey. However, while things are going well, those who talk about brotherhood show their true faces when the situation gets a little chaotic. As the Chairman mentioned earlier, they use a language that leads to hate speech, which will hurt and offend the Kurds. We reject all of this," he expressed.
"DIALOGUE AND SOLUTION MUST BE PRIORITIZED" Özel emphasized that they are closely and anxiously following the developments in Syria and the humanitarian drama currently taking place there, stating, "On one hand, we see the fact that aid convoys have departed from Turkey and are being delivered through Aleppo to Ayn al-Arab and Kobani as positive. But we also need to look at who brought it to this state. Allowing certain Salafi structures there and then, when cities are besieged, electricity is cut off, five children freeze to death, and people are driven to hunger, instead of sending aid trucks from here, we need to prioritize dialogue and solutions, as we always say, without allowing chaos that will cause these situations in Syria. But on the other hand, we must also say this; when cities are besieged, will these aids reach the right place, or will they fall into the hands of others? We are concerned about this. We discussed this in the meeting; besides delivering aid from Öncüpınar to Aleppo, and from Aleppo to Ayn al-Arab and Kobani, there is a much more practical, logistical, and reasonable route. We have the Mürşitpınar Border Gate. When the Mürşitpınar Border Gate is opened, aid reaches where it needs to go without having to pass through a siege. We find it important to open the Mürşitpınar Border Gate, limited to humanitarian aid, and to deliver all aid from here," he stated.
"THE COMMISSION MUST SEEK ANSWERS TO THE TURMOIL IN SYRIA" Özel stated that a process is also ongoing in Turkey alongside Syria's peace, saying, "The current two valuable members of the commission, Gülistan Hanım and Murat Emir Bey, are serving in the commission on behalf of our party and the DEM Party. They are also serving in the small group consisting of group vice presidents. The commission is in the phase of writing the report. However, the commission needs to seek answers to questions such as 'How will permanent peace be achieved in Syria while there is war in Syria?' in its internal studies regarding the turmoil in Syria. We value the constructive contribution of the commission regarding Syria. Of course, the responsibilities and working limits of the commission are clear. The commission should be a monitoring and protective body that is in favor of peace and diplomacy regarding what is happening in Syria, and we attach great importance to the implementation of the protocol signed last year this year if certain decisions are made regarding Syria," he evaluated.
"ISIS IS NOT JUST ANY POLITICAL ELEMENT" Özel stated that the Salafi organizations and jihadists in Idlib see the Republic of Turkey as their primary target, saying, "They see the Republic of Turkey, founded by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, as their primary target. They see it as their biggest enemy at the beginning of the year. Those who see Anıtkabir as 'the place where the idol lies' came out from Idlib during that process and spread. Now prisons will change hands, and there are no escape news, etc. But there is the ISIS threat; right at our border. This ISIS issue sends shivers down our spines; those who martyred three of our police officers in Yalova or those who went to a venue celebrating New Year's Eve and turned it into a bloodbath are now conducting operations in Syria alongside the regime, raising their flags in certain places; every citizen of the Republic of Turkey has the highest level of sensitivity regarding this."This issue should be noted by everyone. ISIS is not just any political element. A regime, an order that allows certain individuals who think they will die for this cause and go to heaven, who consider all of us as enemies, who see democracy as an enemy, that is, who hate the ballot box, and who view democracy as 'associating partners with Allah', is not an order; there is no peace for anyone there. Most of all, there is no peace for Turkey," he said.
"IF PEACE COMES, THE FUTURE OF BOTH TURK AND KURD'S CHILDREN WILL BE BRIGHT" Özel stated, "We long for a geography where peace exists in both Turkey and Syria, and where Turkey and Syria can develop shoulder to shoulder; it is no longer a geography where the British and Americans have won, and where Israel's chess game has progressed; it is a geography where Turks, Kurds, Arabs, and Alevis win together and strengthen together. It should not be a foreign policy led by those who know it very well, who move one step forward and two steps back, or one step forward and one step sideways; it should be a mindset that observes the interests of everyone in Turkey with strategic intelligence, that sees that if peace comes to this geography, the future of both Kurdish and Turkish children can be bright, and that focuses on winning correctly and in the long term, and on bringing all societies in the country together to win. I say that none of our political futures are more valuable than the future, peace, and development of Turkey and all the peoples in the region; Syria, and the Middle East," he expressed.
BAKIRHAN: OUR REGION HAS SEEN ENOUGH CONFLICT, BLOOD, AND VIOLENCE DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan stated, "ISIS is not just a threat for Kobani; it is a threat for Diyarbakır, for Izmir, and for all our people living all over Turkey. It is necessary to read and see well the ground where ISIS is reviving. Those who think a victory emerges when the Kurds withdraw should also see the ISIS menace that is growing, reviving, and organizing there. Again, for days, some media outlets and some politicians have been using a language that breaks and otherizes the Kurds. This language is of no benefit to anyone. The process we are in is sensitive. In this process, there is a need for a peaceful language that centers on the Kurds and recognizes their democratic rights. As the DEM Party, we will continue to use this language. However, we want to emphasize that the divisive and otherizing language should be abandoned, especially by the media and some actors in politics. We will overcome this process together in solidarity. Our region has seen enough conflict, blood, and violence. There are great duties and responsibilities for the government, political parties, and especially for the Republican People's Party, where we are today, in Turkey. Politics should also take a role in solving problems through dialogue and negotiation, especially in the region," he stated.