Turkey’s AKP-CHP meet for Eid, Özel calls President Erdoğan
Turkey’s ruling AKP and main-opposition CHP delegations met for Eid celebrations, with Palestine and elections topping the agenda. CHP chairman Özel also called President Erdoğan to celebrate Eid after signaling a desire to open communication channels.
Duvar English
Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) delegations on April 11 met for the Eid celebrations.
CHP Deputy Chair and Women's Branch Chair Aylin Nazlıaka evaluated the government’s latest decision to restrict trade with Israel, "Some of the fuel for the planes bombing Gaza was supplied from Turkey. However, it was still a good decision, albeit late.”
Referring to the police's harsh treatment against Muslim activists protesting Turkey’s continuing trade with Israel, Nazlıaka said, “Our sisters, who were detained in handcuffs behind their backs, have also confirmed how correct their action was."
AKP Central Executive Committee Member Hasan Sert said in response, "The trade we do with Palestine seems to be done with Israel because all permits are issued through Israel.”
As Turkey officially recognizes Palestine, all official transactions include different trade codes for Palestine and Israel.
Stating that there are citizens who cannot truly enjoy the Eid celebrations, Nazlıaka said, “We will work to ensure that young people who are worried about their future, women in the spiral of violence, shopkeepers who have shut down their shops, families who cannot buy holiday clothes for their children, and all our citizens will live the next holiday comfortably."
Sert stated that the whole world and Turkey have been going through difficult times starting from the pandemic and added, "There are homeless people in America, yet this does not mean that America is bankrupt."
CHP chair Özel calls Erdoğan for Eid celebrations
CHP leader Özgür Özel on April 10 also called President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to celebrate Eid. In an interview with the pro-government daily Sabah on April 9, he said that he would call Erdoğan and said, "I will tell him that we have to work together... And that we have to consult from time to time.”
Özel said he would remind Erdoğan that the CHP "holds the local administrations in a geography dominated by 65 percent of Turkey's population and 85 percent of its national income."
According to journalist İsmail Saymaz, Özel told Erdoğan, "It would be beneficial to keep the dialogue channel open,” in a phone call that lasted five minutes.