Ahmet Türk, the co-mayoral candidate of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) for Mardin Metropolitan Municipality, responded to the criticism of his statement "Kılıçdaroğlu cannot solve the Kurdish issue, Erdoğan can."
Speaking to Medyascope, Türk stated that his words were "just an observation."
Türk emphasized that the Republican People's Party (CHP) lacks the infrastructure within the state to solve the Kurdish issue. He stated, "Now there is a leader who has taken control of all state institutions. When he expresses something, everyone complies, but if the CHP attempts something like this today, they would shatter the project. I tried to explain this, meaning 'He has power within the state, he can solve it if he wants.' I also expressed that Erdoğan is the leader who causes the most suffering to Kurds today, it's not praising him."
"I do not expect a new peace process to start in the near future"
Türk also addressed the discussions about whether a new peace process could begin after the coming local elections. He said, "I do not expect a new peace process to start in the near future."
Drawing attention to the isolation of imprisoned politicians and PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, Türk stated, "This is completely illegal. Whether they are convicts or detainees, everyone has certain rights, and now these rights have been usurped. Of course, we express these concerns and make calls for action to be taken. We have not made these issues a bargaining chip. We express what needs to be done; it is not a matter of negotiation."
"No bargaining"
Türk stated that they openly supported Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in the Presidential Election held on May 14-28, but their votes decreased from around 13% and 11% to around 8%.
Explaining that the tendency to decline in votes is due to not entering the elections on their own, Türk said, "There have been occasional reactions among our base regarding this issue. In line with the demands from our people, our party decided to participate in this election with its own candidates. There is absolutely no bargaining involved, and our decision should not be seen as a concession given to anyone."
(RT/PE)
