The 'Imralı' polemic between Erbakan and MHP continues

Yeniden Refah Party Chairman Fatih Erbakan met with Felicity Party (Saadet Partisi) Chairman Mahmut Arıkan. The meeting, held at the party headquarters, began with a session between the delegations. Afterward, the two leaders held a one-on-one meeting. In the joint press conference held after the meeting, evaluations were made regarding domestic and foreign policy.

“ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES ARE AT A PEAK”

Fatih Erbakan touched upon the topics discussed in the meeting, stating, "We held our meeting in an extremely warm atmosphere. Economic conditions in Turkey, problems related to justice, and developments in foreign policy were put on the table. Economic difficulties are at a peak, and problems related to justice are at a peak. In foreign policy, the problems experienced both in Gaza and in other Muslim geographies are obvious."

Stating that an alternative political power must be built against the current government, Erbakan said, "We reached a consensus on carrying out work that will be a source of hope for the voters against the current government. As the Felicity Party and the Yeniden Refah Party, we have decided to keep our contacts tighter in the coming period."

“CONTACTS FOR THE ELECTION WILL INCREASE”

Erbakan gave the following response to the question, "Is an election alliance on your agenda?"

"There is still a long time until the election. The agenda in Turkey changes very quickly. It would not be right to say 'let's form an alliance or not' today. However, we have decided that as two parties, meetings should continue more frequently and intensively regarding what can be done both in Parliament and in other areas in the pre-election period."

“WE ARE HAVING DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING THE REACTIONS FROM THE MHP”

Regarding the statements made by MHP Deputy Chairman Semih Yalçın about him, Fatih Erbakan said, "We are having difficulty understanding the reactions coming from the MHP wing. If going to Imralı and holding talks is such a bad thing, why has Mr. Bahçeli been saying for months that 'Imralı should be visited and talks should be held'? If it is not bad, and if it is necessary and reasonable, what is the reason for these reactions?"

Stating that his statements were within the bounds of courtesy, Erbakan said, "We only expressed that it might be appropriate for Mr. Bahçeli to go and hold this meeting. We stand behind what we said."

Erbakan also touched upon the debates regarding party size, stating, "As the Yeniden Refah Party, we are at a more advanced point than the MHP with 652 thousand members. The 7 percent vote rate we received in the March 31 elections is an indicator of this."

TOUCHED ON GAZA

Making an assessment regarding the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit held in Egypt, Erbakan said, "The real solution to the problems in Gaza is an Islamic Union to be established under the leadership of Turkey. As Islamic countries, we need to use the natural gas, oil, and water resources we possess as a power of sanction."

Erbakan emphasized that a cautious approach should be taken toward the peace plan led by former US President Donald Trump:

"Trump's plan aims to remove the Muslims in Gaza from there and turn the region into a center of immorality. For this reason, one must be careful against such initiatives."

“THE AMNESTY ISSUE SHOULD BE PUT TO A REFERENDUM”

Fatih Erbakan also touched upon the amnesty debates on the agenda. Saying, "Regarding amnesty, Turkish-Kurdish brotherhood is a principle that the National View (Milli Görüş) has put forward for 50 years. We care about the understanding of one homeland, one nation, one flag, and one state within the framework of Islamic brotherhood," Erbakan stated the following:

"Weapons must be silenced, and peace and brotherhood must be established. However, it is not right to take steps that will damage the memory of our martyrs or upset our veterans. A referendum should be held in the process regarding the amnesties to be issued. No step should be taken that the nation and the families of the martyrs do not approve of."

News Source: 12punto