CHP leader Özgür Özel's comments on stray animals: How did he respond to the euthanasia proposal?

Great Unity Party (BBP) Chairman Mustafa Destici is paying a“courtesy visit” to Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel.

The visit began today at the CHP Headquarters.

The two leaders are expected to hold a joint press conference following the meeting.

Highlights from Özel's statements are as follows:

"We are in different alliances with Destici and the BBP, and we are on different wings of the political spectrum, but we have expressed our shared sentiment on this issue. I would like to state that, in our capacity as the party that received the most votes in the last elections, we will provide sincere support for any regulation to be made in the upcoming process, unlike the 22-year practice of the AKP." 

NEW CONSTITUTION

BBP leader Mustafa Destici stated the following:

"We paid a courtesy visit. We had actually planned it earlier, but the elections intervened. They emerged successfully from the first election they entered. I congratulate them on their success. As the BBP, we also emerged by increasing our number of municipalities by over one hundred percent. Nearly half of the metropolitan cities are held by the CHP, and the rest are held by our People's Alliance. We are working in harmony in places where both the AKP and the CHP are present. We are in a different alliance, of course, and we continue our politics while observing this sensitivity. Ultimately, we are a party for Turkey. Our priority is the unity, prosperity, and peace of our nation. For this, we certainly have a debt to the nation and the state in areas where there is a necessity to be united and act together. Today, we also had the opportunity to discuss the new constitution during our meeting. We believe that Turkey needs to get rid of the coup constitution. In our talks, we saw that we are in agreement with the CHP that Turkey needs a new, democratic, and civilian constitution. I expressed to Mr. Özgür what I had expressed to Mr. Kemal. I said that everyone should share their proposals in front of the public, and that we should make an effort to create a constitution by setting aside the points where we cannot reach a consensus and at least meeting on our common ground. For us, the red line is terrorism and violence. As long as they distance themselves from terrorist organizations, every political party, every non-governmental organization, and even every individual can freely express their opinions and live their faith. Our red line is terrorism and violence. We saw that we are of the same opinion on this as well. This meeting was very beneficial." 

STATEMENT FROM BBP ON STRAY ANIMALS

BBP leader Destici commented on the bill planned to be prepared regarding stray dogs as follows:

"Ultimately, as the BBP, we stated that we would start these efforts within a month in the municipalities handed over to us and that we would clear our streets of diseased and aggressive stray dogs. Our municipalities have completed these efforts. Currently, the dogs are being collected. We are carrying out our work regarding them receiving treatment, going to places where they can be treated, going to shelters for those with shelter facilities, and the euthanasia of those that are diseased and aggressively untrainable. We were very pleased to hear that our state is preparing a law on this matter. I express that we also support this DRAFT LAW. As far as we know it so far, we see that everything we said before the election is exactly in that law."

"AN ANIMAL RIGHTS FUND SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED"

CHP leader Özgür Özel said the following regarding stray animals:

"We have not seen a draft yet. Of course, we will work on the draft together, but the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), with the human resources, effort, time, and parliamentary resources provided, established a parliamentary research commission in January 2021, and this commission submitted its report on the protection of animal rights. While this report was being prepared, experts and academics were consulted. A report emerged as a result of a long study on this subject. In this report, the issue of euthanasia is limited to sick and untreatable animals and certain animals that cannot be controlled. And there is absolutely no euthanasia measure related to preventing the reproduction of stray animals. But there is an intervention in the problem here. The report says: A 'Animal Rights Fund' should be established. The revenues of this animal rights fund should consist of shares transferred from the real estate and environmental cleaning taxes collected by municipalities, shares transferred from games of chance such as horse racing and the national lottery, and donations. This fund would provide resources for expenses related to building shelters and performing sterilizations. All political parties said this, and the parliament made a decision. Today, when austerity measures are in question, if you say, 'Well, we spent the money on election economics, let's put these dogs to sleep,' there is no logical basis for this. Therefore, this fund must be established, and this money must go to shelters, starting with sterilization. Euthanasia for untreatable animals is already expressed by scientists as a last resort. Our approach is for the parliament to stand by its own report."

STATEMENT ON MHP'S YÖNTER AND YALÇIN

In his speech at the group meeting on Tuesday, Özgür Özel made a new statement regarding two names from the MHP, whom he had mentioned without naming them.

Özel said, "The point we are pleased with is that I did not give names, but the gentlemen took the issue upon themselves. In the entire MHP community, only those two defended themselves and chose to insult us. No third person came out to defend them or say anything else. The issue is already this sensitive, serious, and real. What more can I say about this? We only signed off on what everyone already knows. There are two tweets full of insults, and there is no third person to defend them or stand behind them."

STATEMENT ON SİNAN ATEŞ

Regarding the climate of 'normalization' in politics created by his meeting requests with the President and political party leaders following the March 31 local elections, Özel recalled the murder of former Ülkü Ocakları President Sinan Ateş and said:"A politician who is a father of two daughters, and also one of the former chairmen of the Ülkü Ocakları, will fall victim to a political murder in the middle of Ankara, drug dealers will kill him, public officials will help them escape, and that blood will remain unavenged. Why? So that the contacts made by some people in a party are not revealed and the party is not harmed! As long as that blood remains there, politics in Turkey cannot normalize! The People's Alliance must get rid of this burden." he said..

Özgür Özel is expected to visit Saadet Party Chairman Temel Karamollaoğlu on Friday (tomorrow), followed by New Welfare Party Chairman Fatih Erbakan as well.