The deputy chairman of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Mehmet Bekaroğlu, spoke on the crisis with Russia and criticized the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş on Monday in press conference for visiting Russia. Bekaroğlu said: "I cannot imagine any Turkish political party that can take a position with Russia." During the election period the CHP and HDP had taken similar positions, but with the increasing deadly terror attacks in the southeast and increased tensions with Russia, the main opposition CHP has begun to criticize HDP policies.
At a press conference, Bekaroğlu also addressed the normalization process of relations with Israel. "We are in favor of relations that are established based on friendship and are suitable to international law with all countries, especially regional neighbors. Relations with Israel became an internal affair for Ankara, but today friendship is trying to be re-established with Israel. The CHP supports the normalization process of bilateral relations, but criticizes the policies of the government, which has caused paradoxes in international affairs," Bekaroğlu said.
According to Bekaroğlu, the brawl that broke out at the CHP İzmir Provincial Organization Congress was an indicator of democracy. He said: "If you have multi-candidate list elections and democracy in your political party system, these kinds of conflict are normal. This does not mean that there are intra-party conflicts in the CHP, it rather means that democracy is working in the CHP."
