Özgür Özel speaks at Socialist International meeting: Our goal is to establish a social democratic municipal approach

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel attended the Socialist International Council meeting in Madrid, the capital of Spain, today.

In his speech there, Özel called for unity, stating, "Those who believe in democracy and have the will to build a new economic order must join forces." Özel said, "What we are experiencing today is a conflict between social policies that prioritize public interest and right-wing politics based on personal interests. It is up to us, the leftists, socialists, and social democrats, to place the public interest at the center of politics and the order. One of the most important steps our parties, our institutions, and the Socialist International can take in the fight against the rise of the far-right and increasing populism is to stand with and support our people who are exploited by the neoliberal economic order."

"I CONVEY OUR THANKS TO SPAIN FOR STANDING BY OUR CITIZENS DURING THE EARTHQUAKE"

Özel's speech is as follows:

"On February 6, 2023, last year, we experienced one of the most painful days in the history of the Republic. We lost 50,783 of our citizens in the earthquakes that affected 11 of our provinces. While we were experiencing this pain, I would like to convey my thanks once again, on behalf of my country and all our citizens, to Spain, which was one of the first countries to rush to help, which was by our side within 24 hours, which contributed to search and rescue efforts in 10 of our cities, which was in Turkey with 500 heroic sailors and two military ships, and which stood by our citizens by establishing a field hospital in our Hatay province.

"I AM FOCUSED ON THE LOCAL ELECTIONS TO BE HELD ON MARCH 31"

My party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, along with the Republic of Turkey. As the leader of a party that founded the Republic, I stand before you as a representative of a deep-rooted tradition and an important mission. The goal of this mission is to create a contemporary society and a developed, fair economic order. It is to make reason and science prevail in governance, and to become one of the world's leading countries with a respectable, peaceful, and non-adventurist foreign policy. The CHP, which has been a member of the Socialist International for 47 years, is the most important defender and the only political representative of social democracy in Turkey. With its 100-year history, it is among the most deep-rooted parties in the world. Since the moment I was elected as chairman 4 months ago, I have focused on the local elections that will take place on March 31. Our party's mayors manage very important cities in Turkey, including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Antalya, Muğla, Aydın, and Hatay, which you all know very well, and cities where nearly 60 percent of our population lives. Our municipalities have reduced the effects of economic difficulties on our people through social democratic services and solidarity policies. Our goal is to grow our successes in local governments and to make the social democratic municipal approach prevail throughout our country.

Our world is going through a process of change and transformation. The problems we experience and the difficulties we face are not problems that can be solved only within national borders with national resources, as in past centuries. On the contrary, the most important troubles of our age are now global problems that transcend borders and for which we must work together to solve.

"FAR-RIGHT MOVEMENTS ARE CREATING NEW RISKS IN EVERY REGION"

In addition to problems such as war, the geopolitical and geoeconomic competition environment, epidemic threats like the Covid pandemic, food security, drought, the climate crisis, and irregular migration, rising far-right movements are creating new risks in every region. This chain of deeply interconnected problems threatens the economic and social conditions of our people and our democracies. We observe that far-right ideologies, which try to attract the masses who do not get what they deserve from this economic order we object to, who feel left behind, and who experience income inequality, with radical rhetoric, are also strengthening in many parts of the world. These rising far-right movements and authoritarian tendencies are bringing back harmful ideologies that we buried in the pages of history and are causing great damage to the internationalist perspective. For this reason, we must strengthen democratic politics and increase solidarity between our parties against rising authoritarianism.

TARGETED NEOLIBERAL POLICIES

It is, of course, understandable that in countries where our political relatives are in power, these countries' foreign policies and their own priorities are brought to the agenda. However, at the point where their political counterparts rule as right-wing, shallow, oppressive regimes that suspend democracy in the countries where they are located, it is an important reminder that I must make to the left and socialist leaders of the countries whose governments we are proud of, that they should consider that even the reflections of good relations between leaders harm the left, social democratic, and socialist ideology in other geographies, and that they should correctly define this network of relationships and pay attention to what kind of situation personal closeness puts our political relatives in the country they are dealing with.

Those who believe in democracy and have the will to build a new economic order must join forces. What we are experiencing today is a conflict between social policies that prioritize public interest and right-wing politics based on personal interests. It is up to us, the leftists, socialists, and social democrats, to place the public interest at the center of politics and the order. One of the most important steps our parties, our institutions, and the Socialist International can take in the fight against the rise of the far-right and increasing populism is to stand with and support our people who are exploited by the neoliberal economic order.

THE ISSUE OF PALESTINE

The last few years we have lived through have unfortunately shown us that war and conflict are still one of the most important risks for humanity. With the Ukraine-Russia war, which we have now completed its second full year, we witnessed such a war on the European continent for the first time since 1945. Moreover, the escalation and spread risks created by this devastating war, which is still ongoing, threaten the whole world. I would like to remind you that as of now, more than 30 thousand people have lost their lives in the operations carried out by Israel in Gaza after the attack carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and that a significant portion of this is women and children. I made an international call for peace on this issue last November and wrote a letter to the leaders of the countries represented in the Socialist International and the left and social democratic parties in those countries. I want to draw attention to the humanitarian drama in Gaza by paying a visit to Palestine next April, and I would like to express with pleasure that we have made significant progress on this issue.

"WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE IN SOLIDARITY WITH OPPRESSED PEOPLES"

I think that after the visit next April, we should all discuss an important call here regarding the immediate provision of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and allowing the passage of humanitarian aid. I would like to emphasize that a permanent solution to the problem requires a two-state formation that will be reached with the establishment of a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem, within the 67 borders of the United Nations. No matter where the blood is shed, whether in Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen, or Africa, wherever it is in the world, we will continue to stand against the powerful and oppression, and to be in solidarity with the oppressed peoples."