First assessment from Özgür Özel after the closed session: 'Erdoğan's manipulation'

CHP Chairman Özel made a statement at the Parliament and answered journalists' questions while the closed session in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) was still ongoing, where Israel's attempt to invade Lebanon and developments in the region were being discussed, and where Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan were providing briefings.

Stating that they had made their own assessments before the closed session in the General Assembly, Özel said, "In the past, such invitations were either turned down, or when they came to an open session, they would leave without saying anything. Then we would object, and they would say, 'What should we do, give away state secrets on live broadcast?' To ensure there was no such escape route, we said, 'Whatever the claim is that Israel will attack Turkey, come and explain it in a closed session.'"

"NOTHING MORE WAS SAID"

Expressing that as the CHP they are committed to the Rules of Procedure and the Constitution, Özel said, "Words spoken in a closed session remain in secret minutes for 10 years. We do not disclose what is said. But if there are things that are not said, we will expose them."

Özel made the following assessments:

"Together with my group deputy chairmen and our Parliament Administrative Chief, the entire group and the entire Parliament listened with rapt attention; what was said and what was not? Nothing more was said than the information provided by those discussing foreign policy and military strategy on evening news channels. They said, 'The session is open, how can we give classified information, it cannot be discussed openly.' We said, 'It will remain under secret minutes for 10 years, speak up'; they didn't say anything we didn't know. The problem is exactly there."

Stating that Erdoğan threw out the claim that 'Israel will attack Turkey' so that people would not talk about poverty, unemployment, inflation, and the high cost of living in Turkey, Özel said, "He is making television stations and newspapers talk about this. He is changing the agenda in Turkey. But he is doing this by exploiting national security and issues that all of our hearts beat for together. I am complaining to our nation." Özel stated that Turkey needs to return to its real agenda.

Özel said, "I invite the real journalists and television broadcasters in Turkey to cleanse themselves of the agenda manipulation carried out by the President, and to talk about poverty, unemployment, job insecurity, the high cost of living, the difficulties faced by farmers, workers, retirees, and civil servants, and the hopelessness of the youth."

"WE WOULD HAVE DEFENDED TURKEY STANDING AS ONE HEART"

Emphasizing that they stand by Palestine like lions against Israel, Özel said, "If there had been something we didn't know today, we would have remained silent and provided whatever support was needed. In this parliament, Bülent Ecevit gave a briefing regarding the Cyprus Peace Operation. Süleyman Demirel came out and said, 'From this moment on, we are one heart, with the government and the opposition.' If there were such a threat, neither I nor my group deputy chairmen would hold back for a minute from saying the same sentence. If there were such a threat, our entire group would have defended Turkey standing as one heart."

Noting that the country needs to return to its real agenda, Özel said, "The manipulation carried out by the President has been put to the test of sincerity by the main opposition party, and unfortunately, the government's bad intentions on this matter have been revealed by the touchstone used. We are complaining to our nation about the manipulation carried out by the ruling party. We will continue to talk about your problems."

When asked for his assessment regarding the criticisms of IYI Party Chairman Müsavat Dervişoğlu about the closed session, Özel said, "I served as a group deputy chairman with Mr. Müsavat, we shared our experiences with each other. If this had happened in the past and he had asked me, 'Mr. Chairman, what is your goal here?', my contribution to him with my parliamentary experience would have been this: 'My dear Chairman, if you make the session open, they leave without saying anything, and then they say, 'How can we say classified information on live broadcast?' That's why we made it closed so that if they know something, they can say it; watch and see, they won't say anything. If they do say something, we will have learned it and we will contribute.' We are exactly at that point."

Regarding the question about MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli's statement that "Israel's next target is Anatolia," Özel replied, "Both Mr. Bahçeli and Mr. Erdoğan are uncomfortable with the topics being discussed in the country. They are uncomfortable with the agricultural rallies, the farmers seeking their rights, TÜRK-İŞ seeking rights for the first time in years, the minimum wage losing 6 thousand liras of value since the day it was given, our retiree rallies, and the CHP being the number one party. They are manipulating to change the agenda."

Regarding the question about MHP Chairman Bahçeli shaking hands with DEM Party deputies, Özel noted the following:

"If Hitler were to do what these friends are doing—I don't want to make a comparison, but there is no harm in an analogy—he would have done it like this. When the Russian army reached Berlin, he would go to the concentration camps and say to the prisoners there, 'Friends, the Russians are entering Berlin, now is the time to unite, we are all in the same boat.' They are doing something so strange. They say, 'The danger is great, get behind me' to those they treat with enemy law in normal times. But they cannot say what that danger is. They cannot even say it in a closed session."

Özel, upon a question, said, "If they say, 'We didn't say it in the closed session, we will come and whisper it into the ears of the leaders one by one,' let them do that. They cannot do it, we already know it doesn't exist."

Reminding that there are people within his party who have served in international institutions, Özel stated that these friends of his said, "Israel attacking Turkey is not madness, it is not even a possibility." Özel stated that those trying to keep Turkey on this agenda want to disconnect the country from its real agenda.