Response to IBB question from Özgür Özel, who visited Bülent Arınç! 'When two fellow townsmen come together...'

Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel made a notable visit to the Turkish Grand National Assembly.

Özel met with 22nd Term Parliament Speaker Bülent Arınç, who had visited him in his office some time ago, this time at the Parliament.

According to information obtained, the meeting was held as a return visit.

The meeting, which began at 10:30, lasted one hour and 15 minutes. Following the meeting, Özel and Arınç made statements.

BÜLENT ARINÇ: “I AM IN CONTACT WITH HIM”

Arınç spoke as follows:

“Mr. Chairman came to visit me, and I thank him very much. We are two fellow townsmen; we have known each other since Manisa. I had visited him when he became Chairman and conveyed my congratulations. I also speak with him from time to time on issues related to Manisa. He also shows great interest.

“I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR FROM HIM”

Today was both a Ramadan visit and—perhaps you are aware—I was in Manisa last Saturday. We have an iftar dinner as a family every year during Ramadan. We have a mevlid recited during the day. I had invited all my prominent friends in Manisa. Our CHP executive friends and mayors also came. Mr. Chairman's own schedule is very busy, so he could not attend. Today, may God accept it, he expressed his good wishes to me. In the remaining part, I had the opportunity to hear from him about the conditions our country is in. We had such a nice meeting. I thank him very much.'

ÖZGÜR ÖZEL: “WE HAVE NEVER WITHHELD COURTESY FROM EACH OTHER”

CHP leader Özel also said the following:

“Mr. Bülent Arınç, on the day I was first elected as a deputy, he was the Deputy Prime Minister—a position he continued in afterward—and he called all the deputies elected from Manisa. The inexperience of any job is difficult, and that of being a deputy is even more so. He asked, 'Is there anything we can do in Ankara?' Since that day, our parties have been separate, and we have been in political competition. In fact, since the day I became a candidate for Mayor of Manisa in the 2009 local elections, there have been times when we fulfilled the requirements of political competition, but we have never withheld from each other the courtesy required of being two fellow townsmen who are politicians.

When I was elected Chairman, they came for a congratulatory visit. We had very painful days; both he and his son, my brother Mücahit, never left us alone at the funeral of Ferdi Zeyrek and later at the funeral of our Şehzadeler Mayor, may God have mercy on his soul. I was late in making a return visit. Taking the fact that I could not attend their Ramadan iftar invitation last week as an occasion, today was an opportunity to both celebrate their Ramadan and make a return visit. Together, starting from Manisa, we had the opportunity to chat about all the issues in Turkey, in a way that included my informing him about the process my party is going through, and to benefit from his experience. I thank him for his kind hospitality.”

DID THE IBB CASE COME UP?

When asked whether the IBB case had come up during the meeting, Özel replied, “When two fellow townsmen come together, everything under the sun is on the agenda.”

News Source: 12punto