Özel’s comment on the 'plaid jacket': We thought we should wear the winner jacket for once, what’s wrong with that?

Speaking as a guest on journalist Fatih Altaylı's program, Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel said, "The jacket isn't actually that plaid, but it appeared that way in the image. What harm is there in us wearing it for once? We have become the leading party after 47 years. The name of the jacket is the 'winner' jacket... There is no special message, but we just thought, let us wear it for once, what's wrong with that? Now, we are the winners. Attributing success solely to the leader does not suit a social democratic party," he said.

"IT DIDN'T UPSET ME"

Özel continued, "I had bought the jacket 15-20 days ago. It's not that checkered. After I took the photo with Ayşe Ateş, my chief of staff asked, 'The jacket came out like this, will it be a problem?' I said, let us wear it for once. We didn't see any harm in it. It didn't upset me that the CHP Chairman's 'winner' jacket was talked about for 3 days," he said.

"THE SIX-PARTY TABLE WAS A MISTAKE"

Regarding whether the opposition needs another table like the "Six-Party Table," the CHP Chairman said, "We made a mistake last time. We tied 6 athletes together at their waists in a race. We tied everyone to each other. Everyone got in each other's way. Whereas if the social democratic party had run with its own identity, the conservative democratic party with its own, and the nationalist democratic party with its own, we could have cooperated again where necessary," he said.

Özel added, "Everyone should engage in politics with their own authentic identity. I think this alliance should be discussed when we enter the election period."

SYRIA MOVE: COME, LET ME MEDIATE

Clarifying his remarks about potentially meeting with Assad in the coming days regarding contact with Syria, Özel stated, "There was an appearance that no contact could be established because Assad set the withdrawal of the Turkish army from Syria as a precondition. We are conducting contact through back-channel diplomacy to see if we can open this locked door. It is going positively. I might even meet with the Foreign Minister and Mr. Erdoğan before meeting with Assad. I will go to Mr. Assad and say, Atatürk had three golden rules for relations with neighbors: Respect the neighbor's territorial integrity, do not interfere in the neighbor's internal affairs, and do not engage with non-state actors in your neighbor. As the leader of a CHP with this understanding, I expect from our neighbor a management that respects your territorial integrity, does not interfere in your internal affairs, but where democracy can prevail and elections can be held, and that respects human rights... Not interfering in internal affairs does not mean not demanding universal governance standards; all states have the right to that regarding other states. You cannot commit genocide there. And the non-recognition of non-state actors. Meaning, I do not see some organizations within you as Kuvâ-yi Milliye. Come, let me mediate. Let us sit down and let there be a table with Turkey. Let steps be taken that will solve this refugee problem and your own civil war problem," he explained.