CHP leader Özel made remarks regarding the resolution of the Kurdish question and the agenda of listening to Abdullah Öcalan on Imrali Island.
Speaking at Istanbul Airport, Özel said: “If the Parliament is going to put such a matter on its agenda, let it do so and we’ll see. Let the Speaker of the Parliament take it up, and let the MHP and AKP reveal their stance. Then they can come and ask me.”
Özel added: “The AKP should first determine its own stance. Let them decide on the number of delegates. Let the Speaker announce which party representatives he is inviting. They shouldn’t demonize the CHP and then prioritize it when it suits them.”
Özel also criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, saying that “Erdoğan cannot do politics without an enemy.” The CHP leader continued: “He has a lot to learn from our attitude on the night we won the election. Because he is vindictive, because he is resentful. Because without an enemy, Erdoğan does not exist.”
Addressing the issue of Kurdish political prisoner Selahattin Demirtaş, Özel criticized the Ministry of Justice for appealing the European Court of Human Rights’ ruling that found violations in the case of the HDP’s former co-chair. He said, “The decisions of the European Court of Human Rights are binding for Turkey. We are in a process. They made a mistake. The ECHR rulings must be implemented as soon as possible.”