Özgür Özel meets with DEM Party's Imralı delegation: 'This mentality targeting Leyla Zana does not suit these lands'

The visit tour of the DEM Party's Imralı delegation continues as part of the second opening process, referred to as a Turkey without terrorism.

DEM's stop today was the CHP Headquarters. The delegation, consisting of Pervin Buldan, Mithat Sancar, and Özgür Faik Erol, met with CHP Chairman Özgür Özel regarding the process.

Following the meeting, which lasted approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes, CHP leader Özel and the DEM Party's Imralı delegation held a press conference.

Özel stated, "We hosted the esteemed delegation of the DEM Party. We exchanged views on the process that has taken place in the commission to date and what will follow. First of all, I would like to express a point that I also expressed to our delegation inside. The unacceptable developments that took place last week regarding Ms. Leyla Zana... I had wanted to express these feelings of mine by calling her, but we were unable to establish phone contact due to the difficult process we were also involved in during those days. However, I expressed our good wishes on this matter, our sadness, and our condemnation of the incident inside."

Özel's speech is as follows:

“THIS MENTALITY TARGETING LEYLA ZANA DOES NOT SUIT THESE LANDS”

“I would like to express it once more here in front of the public. Such a mentality that targets a woman, a mother, does not suit these lands. We never, ever accept such a thing being done on these lands, in Anatolia. It is contrary to both our faith and our culture. Furthermore, I would like to state that it is impossible for any of us to open the door to a mentality that tries to use stadiums in this sense, based on political events developing in the country, against a politician.”

“THE GOAL OF BOTH A TERROR-FREE AND DEMOCRATIC TURKEY…”

“We evaluated the process to date and what will follow. Today at 16:00, a five-person delegation consisting of representatives of political parties will meet to discuss the commission's report-writing process and the working principle and schedule they will follow during this process. Our Deputy Group Chairman, Mr. Murat Emir, will represent our party there as well.

We hope that the commission will advance the report-writing stage quickly, and that together, through approaches on which the parties have reached a consensus, we can realize both Turkey's goal of a terror-free Turkey and its goal of a democratic Turkey—a process that is not one after the other but intertwined, which everyone can accept and approve, which will ensure that tears stop on these lands and that brotherhood and peace prevail. We hope for tomorrows where we can walk hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder in peace, where neither the child of a Turk nor a Kurd worries about their future, where they can receive the best education, where we can all develop rapidly together and share fairly.

We hope for constitutional, democratic, and peaceful two states for Turks, Kurds, Druze, Alawites, and Turkmens, both in Turkey and in Syria. We hope that peace, brotherhood, and democracy will prevail in both Turkey and Syria, that there will be full peace on both sides, that there will be good relations between Turkey and Syria, and that the brotherhood on both sides of the border will allow the two countries to step into the future together with confidence. I hope that this will be good for Turkey, Syria, Turks, Kurds, the entire Middle East, and humanity.”