Kılıçdaroğlu's NATO statement: He did not touch upon domestic politics at all

Kılıçdaroğlu, who returned to the post of CHP Chairman following the court's absolute nullity decision, spoke at a press conference. Making statements regarding the NATO Summit to be held in Ankara, Kılıçdaroğlu said, "Turkey is a strong ally of NATO; we have no problem with this. Turkey sits at this table not to seek approval from anyone, but with the strength it draws from its own history, geography, the wisdom of its nation, and the republic's understanding of independence. As the CHP, our perspective is clear. Turkey is a NATO member, but it is not an outpost of NATO. Turkey is a part of European security, but it is not a country to be kept waiting on the periphery of Europe. Turkey also talks to Russia and China, but it cannot enter the orbit of any power," he said.

Kılıçdaroğlu, who last spoke about domestic politics during a live broadcast he attended on June 20, did not make any statements on this subject at the press conference. Having completed his speech, Kılıçdaroğlu left the podium without taking questions from members of the press. 

Here are the highlights from Kılıçdaroğlu's statements:

"July 2 and the Başbağlar massacre are two tragedies we must not forget. 

I would like to share my views regarding the NATO Summit that will take place in Ankara on July 7-8. The world is changing, power centers and international balances are shifting, and the understanding of technology, energy, trade, and security is being reshaped. Where will Turkey stand in this new world order? The CHP's answer is very clear. Turkey will not be a passive element of any global competition. It will not be an outpost for any power. It will not be a strategic subcontractor for any country. Turkey will chart its own path with the strength it draws from its own history, state tradition, and the will of the nation. At the center of our foreign policy understanding are not ideologies but national interests; not bombastic rhetoric but state wisdom. There is not a day-to-day calculation, but a strategic vision that will build the second century of our republic. Today, the world is no longer unipolar. While the Atlantic world is restructuring, Asia has become the center of gravity for the global economy.

We see Turkey not only as a regional power but as a strategic central country. Turkey's duty is not to be a part of polarization, but to establish balance, generate security, and be a carrier of stability in the geography where it is located. We evaluate the NATO Summit to be held in Ankara with this understanding. Because the issue is not just a matter of a summit. The issue is what kind of vision Turkey will put forward in the new world order. 

Turkey is a strong ally of NATO; we have no problem with this. Turkey sits at this table not to seek approval from anyone, but with the strength it draws from its own history, geography, the wisdom of its nation, and the republic's understanding of independence. As the CHP, our perspective is clear. Turkey is a NATO member, but it is not an outpost of NATO. Turkey is a part of European security, but it is not a country to be kept waiting on the periphery of Europe. Turkey also talks to Russia and China, but it cannot enter the orbit of any power. 

In this context, Turkey's geopolitical importance is great. However, a country's geopolitical value does not grow by constantly reminding others of it. Turkey grows and gains respect with its institutions, economy, law, production, diplomacy, and social integrity. 

Let no one forget that the CHP is the founding carrier of this state wisdom. 

In this context, our view of the Ankara summit cannot be limited to the government's narrow propaganda language. The issue is not a government success or a leader's photo. The issue is Turkey's future strategic position. The issue is whether Turkey will accept the role assigned to it in the great power competition or strengthen its own independent decision-making space. 

Turkey's duty is to prevent the growth of wars in its own vicinity, to secure energy and supply lines, and to generate stability from the Black Sea to the Eastern Mediterranean, from the Caucasus to the Middle East. This is not neutrality; the name of this is republican strategic autonomy. 

One of the fundamental truths that Turkey must remind NATO of at the Ankara summit is this: Security is indivisible. NATO security is not limited to the Baltics and Eastern Europe. For Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Caucasus, terrorist organizations, migration, energy lines, food and water security, and non-state armed actors are also part of this security architecture. At this meeting, Turkey must never, ever voice these topics with a narrow language of complaint. Instead of a passive style that says 'support us,' it must use a founding language that reminds NATO of its strategic integrity. 

Supporting an ally's wrong regional policies is not an alliance; the name of this is strategic dependency. 

Foreign policy is not built only across the border. It is built with the state capacity within. However, if the rule of law is weak, institutions are eroded, the economy is unpredictable, parliament is rendered ineffective, judicial independence is controversial, and there is no guarantee of freedom of the press, Turkey's word abroad remains weak. Reminding these truths is the fundamental duty not only of the CHP but of every patriot. 

The final message that must be given at the Ankara summit should be this: Turkey is at the table. But we need to give the message that Turkey is at this table not because it was given a place, but as a historical actor, with its strategic weight and the republic's will for independence."

News Source: 12punto