Deputy Prime Minister Yalçın Akdoğan, a Cabinet member who regularly holds talks with the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) on the Kurdish question, told A Haber on Friday that the reconciliation process continues to top the government's agenda and will continue regardless of whether the HDP passes the 10 percent electoral threshold in the approaching general elections.
Though the HDP has received open support not only from the PKK, but also extreme leftist terror organizations like the Revolutionary Peoples Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) and the Turkish Peoples Liberation Party-Front (THKP-C) in efforts to pass the 10 percent election threshold in the June 7 general elections, Akdoğan said that the HDP is cooperating with the "parallel structure," referring to the Gülen Movement, with the plan to create chaos and halt the process. Istanbul HDP deputy Sırrı Süreyya Önder recently said on a local TV station that because the public has embraced the reconciliation process, it could even be continued with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). The MHP has announced that halting the reconciliation process tops the party's agenda. Akdoğan said that Önder's statements were "meaningless" and added that the process cannot be sustained by refuting those who had initiated the process, referring to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
Pointing out that the reconciliation process had begun without the HDP, Akdoğan stressed that "the process will reach a conclusion [only] if there is the AK Party." He said that the process is one of the foremost topics on the government's agenda after the June 7 election. He said the HDP's alleged cooperation with terrorist organizations as well as its alignment with those who are opposing the process has gained serious responses from the public. Akdoğan said that the HDP is allowing itself to be used by those opposing the process and described it as "a chaos plan."
Commenting on the subsequent steps toward successfully finalizing the process once the election is over, Akdoğan said that the council for the reconciliation process will discuss and assess the recent developments regarding it. "The reconciliation process was neither suspended nor halted, it is continuing as planned. Although there is a great tremble in confidence as to with whom the dialogues will continue due to the HDP's stance, the process will reach a successful finalization," Akdoğan said.
He underlined that the process will continue regardless of the HDP passing the electoral threshold. "The HDP is not an actor here as it is only a messenger. Them [the HDP] passing the electoral threshold is not the matter, they have trembled over our confidence. They do not have a concern like the reconciliation process, and thus, following the elections we will evaluate who to continue the process with," he further said.
Underlining that if 1 million citizens do not vote then they would indirectly be supporting the HDP, Akdoğan urged everyone to go to vote. In addition, Akdoğan said: "The AK Party has been the only party that has emphasized establishing a new constitution and presidential system. I urge all of our citizens to take these matters into account when voting, as a new constitution and the presidential system are required for Turkey's 2023 goals. Thus in efforts to establish a ‘New Turkey' we must establish a new constitution first," said Akdoğan.
