Özgür Özel, chairman of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), announced at the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg that the party was willing to take the lead in advancing Turkey’s European Union candidacy.
Özel, whose CHP won major gains in Turkey’s local elections on March 31, attended the Council of Europe’s spring meeting of the Socialists, Democrats and Greens Caucus.
In a speech made at the event, Özel said “We are ready to contribute to Turkey’s EU membership bid by making diplomatic initiatives and taking the lead in convincing our European friends.”
“Turkey’s number one party”
Declaring the CHP as Turkey’s number one party following their plurality on March 31, Özel said “We have become the number one party in Turkey with the support of 17.3 million of our citizens. We now control 11 more provinces than the ruling party [President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP)].”
In his remarks, Özel also highlighted that some half of CHP party officials are women, with an average age of only 43 years old.
“We are a part of Europe”
Adding that a major CHP priority is EU accession, Özel characterized Turkey as “a part of Europe”. Özel also touched on the conflict in Gaza, calling for a decrease in tensions and a permanent two state solution based on 1967 borders.
Remarks from Council of Europe President
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At the meeting, Council of Europe President Charles Michel expressed hope for a stable and positive relationship with Turkey going forward:
“We’d like to establish a positive relationship with Turkey. We’d like to develop a stable partnership. We’d like to work with Turkey in a measured and progressive manner.”
The unresolved issue of Cyprus — an EU member state divided between Turkish and Greek sides since 1974 — has long been a sticking point in the Turkey-EU relationship. In his remarks, Michel touched on the issue, saying:
“I especially want to emphasize the importance of the Cyprus issue. This situation is of special importance to us, especially with regard to the solution process of the issue at the United Nations.”
While Cyprus’ Greek-majority south is an EU member state with UN recognition, the island’s Turkish-majority north is recognized only by Turkey. Efforts to reunite the island have been unsuccessful for decades, and the large Turkish military presence in the north has long been criticized by the UN and EU.
Written/translated for Medyascope by Leo Kendrick
