Efkan Ala addresses claims of a new 'solution process': 'We want to increase normalization'

Former Interior Minister and AKP Deputy Chairman Efkan Ala answered questions about the current agenda from Habertürk TV Editor-in-Chief Mehmet Akif Ersoy.

THE ISSUE OF ERDOĞAN'S CANDIDACY

Ala gave the following response to claims that President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will be a candidate for another term:

"Now, such things are unnecessary debates. I mean, we are talking about the constitution. Sir, our President has won every election he has entered. We are the ones who made this constitutional amendment. Is that so? And if we had been involved in such calculations, we wouldn't have made this constitutional amendment back then. These are unnecessary debates. I mean, who made the constitution? Who put in the two-term limit? Was it there before? We put it in. Now, that is not the issue; the issue is, as I said a moment ago, now that politics has been freed from tutelage, now that it has become possible to speak about everything one wants while taking society into account, and while there is such an expectation in society, and while we are at the upper level of a developing country and on the threshold of developed countries, let's do this, let's turn it into an opportunity. Then the nation will make its decision. I mean, our main issue is to move Turkey to a higher league in the new century, in the Century of Turkey. I will move on to other topics; my time is also very limited."

THERE ARE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON THE CONSTITUTION

Regarding different perspectives on the constitution within the AKP, Ala replied, "How nice, what is the harm in that? Good, fine. We say let the whole nation say what it wants, so are we not going to say what we want among ourselves?"

NEW 'SOLUTION PROCESS' CLAIMS

Responding to Ersoy's question, "Is the Solution Process starting again? If not, what is happening? I mean, this handshake, the President's statement, the call to Öcalan, some meetings, Sırrı Süreyya Önder expressing thanks... Something happened. What happened?", Ala noted the following:

"Let us explain. Now, we are the People's Alliance... We talk every evening. But we say, look at what is happening in Turkey and around Turkey, friends. There is a war around Turkey. Ukraine and Russia are fighting. The world is witnessing unprecedented massacres being carried out by Israel there. It attacked Lebanon, it destroyed Gaza. Humanity is being devastated before our eyes, isn't it? Such brutality has never been seen before. A massacre gang, a state is acting like an organization. It is destroying everything without recognizing any rules. It destroyed values, it destroyed humanity, it destroyed conscience.

'LET'S INCREASE NORMALIZATION'

''Now, Turkey, the main topic of the elections was the issue of survival. Turkey is here, in such an unstable framework... Look at Libya down there. In the west, you see Russia, Ukraine, let me not repeat it. Just yesterday, the Karabakh War Victory was achieved. Just yesterday, before that, what a difficult situation that place was in. You see Syria. Now, in such a place... There is the issue of this place continuing as an island of stability and fortifying this. Now we have covered a lot of ground. Now what are we doing? We are saying more cooperation, more political dialogue, let politics be strengthened more.

I said earlier that politics has been freed from tutelage, but politics itself should also be fortified. Because politics should solve problems by coming together. Because politics is the least costly way to solve problems. The least cost. I mean, if you ask how a country solves a problem with the least cost, it solves it with politics and diplomacy. Now, for this, we want to increase dialogue, increase consensus, increase conversation. A year ago, there was a war in Syria too. Look, we are saying let's increase normalization.

Well, after the election, our President and the Republican People's Party Chairman came together. And our President, didn't he, our esteemed President visited there. Then, sir, statements were made to further fortify normalization. I mean, as the People's Alliance, we are saying let there be more dialogue, more mutual consensus, and a ground for conversation. But look at how the former chairman of the Republican People's Party, who said everything before that, is now opposing these. Isn't that so? For example, how he makes statements with unspeakable things. I mean, was everything possible back then and we didn't do it? You have to take such a thing into account. Now it has become suitable, it has become possible, and we are doing it."

DEM SHOULD KEEP ITS DISTANCE FROM THE PKK

Ala also gave the following response to the question, "What is your expectation? For example, do you think the DEM Party has a distance from the PKK, that it has a relationship with the PKK?":

"Of course it should keep its distance. There is no need to think about it. What did it say in the past? Behind it, there was the PKK. Now people are saying, we are saying to the parties, look, violence, terror, there is no harm in this. It is always said. Relationships, you will reject that. Relationships will be severed. This subject is not even a matter of debate. When it exists, dialogue cannot be established. That is why we now want there to be a ground for dialogue. Everyone should do their part here, look. I mean, let us not constantly define others, but everyone, every party, if they want things to get better in Turkey, should take the initiatives that will ensure things get better. We are taking them, look, as the People's Alliance, we are taking them. Let others take them too. Is it something like 'You change too and let's sit down'? There is no need for even this much interpretation. They are sitting side by side there. Aren't they the same topics? They are doing management in the Parliament. It is being talked about. Let's increase politics. Let's fortify the political ground. Let's fortify dialogue. Let's solve the country's problems in the political arena.

I have explained our view on the issues many times. We are putting forward our own project, Mr. Mehmet Akif. We are extending our hand to those who want to have a share in this project, who want to contribute to this project, to the Turkey project, and we are saying our door is open. No to violence, no to terror. Our interlocutor is primarily the citizen, and of course, the political actors who reject violence and terror and have no connection with violence and terror. I mean, saying this repeatedly and making things reach a dead end can also be a project, but this is our project.

Isn't the DEM Party in Parliament? Doesn't it speak every time we bring a law to Parliament? Now look, we mentioned the constitutional table a moment ago. We wanted the place where Turkey's fundamental issues are discussed to be the Parliament, didn't we? Aren't they in Parliament? But I beg you, the public should not force us on this. There is no single party there. There are many parties there that we agree and disagree with. Do you think we agree on everything with the other parties? The characteristic of this party is its relationship with the terrorist organization PKK. We said that too. Our President said it, and we have said it many times.

Anything else is unthinkable anyway. That is why we said let's discuss the methods of all parties, those with groups and those without, around a table, and while saying that Turkey needs to talk about its issues, we are not saying this party is separate; politics is discussed with those who care about politics and believe that the country's problems will be solved through politics, and political issues are discussed with those who implement it. Isn't that so? This means that those who already think that politics is a remedy will sit there and talk.

After that, those other issues are their own business; we are stating our stance there very clearly and we are saying that judicial processes are already involved, some have relationships, lawsuits are filed, they are put in prison, investigations are conducted. And we, no matter what anyone says, are continuing the fight against terror, aren't we? I mean, we are not asking anyone anything there. The state is of course getting stronger, and it is getting stronger day by day. For example, both the liberation of politics from tutelage and the institutions only strengthened politics, and it also strengthened the institutions."