Babacan responds to AKP claims, lashes out at CHP! 'In their own internal conflicts...'

DEVA Party leader Ali Babacan, who stood side-by-side with AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the reception held for the opening of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, responded to claims that he would return to the AKP.

Arguing that Turkey should not be condemned to a two-polar political system, Babacan stated that they are pursuing a third political path together with the New Way Group, which his party is also a part of. Stating that Turkey 'should not be condemned to a two-polar political system,' Babacan noted that his party is part of the "New Way Group" and that they will pursue a "third-way politics" he emphasized.

Babacan answered questions from a group of journalists. According to BBC Turkish, addressing the comments made over the photograph taken with Erdoğan at the opening of Parliament, Babacan reacted to the claims that he would return to the AKP.

"I HAVE HAD 3 CONVERSATIONS WITH ERDOĞAN SINCE I LEFT"

Reacting to the claims that he would return to the AKP, Babacan noted that since resigning from the AKP, he had only met with Erdoğan face-to-face on October 1st. Babacan spoke as follows:

"Previously, we only had three phone conversations; I called during the February 6 earthquakes, he called when my father passed away, and he called again when my mother passed away. We have had no contact since our greeting on October 1st."

Stating that there have been no requests for meetings with Erdoğan or AKP officials regarding the economy or other issues since October 1, Babacan said, "There is no reason for that to happen right now. Because we have already announced our solutions and preparations for Turkey." he stated.

Babacan, who has also drawn attention with his recent statements regarding the CHP, noted that the reason for the distance between them and the CHP is "the CHP's own internal dynamics."

"In a way, the DEVA Party and our deputies were used in their own internal conflicts. Naturally, that picture and the fact that the new management was elected through such a campaign cooled the relations between the parties. So, it is not possible for us to act as if nothing happened."

Arguing that the "grassroots alliance" strategy announced by the new CHP management limits cooperation between parties, Babacan claimed that it is actually the CHP that stands in the way of solidarity among opposition parties.

“IT GIVES THE IMPRESSION OF A POLITICAL OPERATION”

When asked about the “corruption and money laundering operations” involving CHP-run municipalities and certain media outlets, Babacan emphasized the need for comprehensive “anti-corruption legislation.”

Stating that a “clean hands” operation has become a necessity in Turkey, Babacan said this could only be achieved through a legal framework that is “fair, treats everyone equally, and is free from the perception of being a political operation.”

Otherwise, he argued, “one-sided judicial investigations will go no further than being a ‘political operation’ and will fail to convince anyone.”

Addressing the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was removed from his post as Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, as part of a newly launched espionage investigation, Babacan stated that his information regarding the process was limited. However, he expressed that the developments since March 19 “give the impression of a political operation.”