CHP President Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s Brussels Visit

15 May 2013

CHP Delegation:

Mr Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu

CHP President, Main Opposition Leader of Turkey,

Socialist International Vice-President

CHP Vice -President Mr Faruk Loğoğlu

CHP Vice -President Mr Umut Oran

CHP Representative to the EU and PES Presidency Member Ms Kader Sevinç

CHP Chief of Cabinet Mr Tuncay Ceylan

____________________________________

10h00 – 11h00: CHP President’s address to the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialist & Democrats in the European Parliament ,

11h00:  Press point – Mr. Hannes Swoboda, President of the S&D group and Mr. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, CHP President

11h30 – 12h00: Meeting with Members of the European Parliament and Vice-President of S&D Group,

12h30 – 13h45: Lunch with S&D Group Members and Vice-Presidents, in the European Parliament

14h00 – 15h00: Turkish Coffee Briefings Meeting,

“Turkey’s Political Outlook and European Challenges”

Introductory remarks by

Alojz Peterle (EPP), MEP, President of the Friends of Turkey Group in the European Parliament,

Alexander Lambsdorff (ALDE), Member of the European Parliament

Richard Howitt (S&D), Member of the European Parliament

Guest speaker: Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu,

CHP President, Main Opposition Leader of Turkey, Vice-President of the Socialist International

15h15-15h45: Meeting with EU Commissioner Mr. Stefan Füle, in the European Parliament

16h00: Meeting with the President of the European Parliament Mr. Martin Schulz

18.10: Meeting between CHP President Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and ALDE Group President Guy Verhofstadt

19h00: Dinner with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium, Laurette Onkelinx, leading politicians from Belgian Socialist Party, Turkish Civil Society Representatives.

CHP PRESIDENT MR. KEMAL KILIÇDAROĞLU’S SPEECH

AT THE GROUP MEETING OF THE ALLIANCE OF SOCIALISTS & DEMOCRATS

IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Unofficial translation

BRUSSELS, 15 MAY 2013

Thank you Mr. Chairman,

Dear Comrades,

Europe today is at a junction: Either it is going to be swept along by the current of history, or it is going to direct that flow.At this point in time,we politicians have huge responsibilities. It is the duty of us socialists and democrats to transform Europe into a project that inspires and generates development, welfare, stability and justice.

In this rapidly changing and globalising environment, the issues of our era are diversifying and becoming more complex. Today, even if some of the underdeveloped countries are tasting the fruits of economic development, hundreds of millions of people still live in the spiral of inequality, poverty, and distress. The internet, social media, mobile technologies, nano-technologies, and the quest for green energies that have been contributing to the progress of humanity, are at the same time creating a new consumer society. While globalisation has been creating opportunities, it has also been bringing complex problems with it.  Unequal relations continue to exist between the Northern and Southern hemispheres. We are still combatting issues caused by hunger, poverty, dictators, injustice, civil wars, violence against children, women and  civilians, as well as the deterioration in the earth’s eco-system.

Dear Comrades,

It is because of all these developments and issues that humanity needs a more effective, more creative and more just Europe. As the birthplace of democracy, human dignity and social justice that form the basis of universal values, Europe has always been a driving force for development and progress. It is this verity of Europe that we in a multitude of ways feel and experience in Turkey.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the association regime Turkey established with the European Union. Let us not forget that Turkey – European Union relations are relations that go beyond the target of full membership. For centuries, we wrote our history together and shared a common fate. In an environment of global competition and a race among civilisations, a Turkey that is a full member of the Union will strengthen Europe in many ways and create added value for all humanity. Turkey’s full membership will increase EU’s social and economic power, its geo-strategic projects, but most importantly, shall add to the global attraction and impact of Europe’s universal values and norms.

CHP, Turkey’s social democrat party with progressive political dynamics,b elieves in this perspective. It was in 1963 when CHP was in power that CHP started Turkey’s accession to a great undertaking of peace and democracy that  was to develop into a political union. CHP has always supported this process.

EU policies of recent years, unfortunately, have not been effective in guiding Turkey towards European values and standards. On the other hand, the ruling conservative AKP government started practicing its anti-democratic culture and spreading it to the entire country. In the meantime, through a variety of channels, the AKP government and its supporters have been carrying out an intensive disinformation campaign in Europe, with Brussels as the major focal point. AKP has made an effort to portray itself as a “democratic force in Turkey” while they have tried, with an intent to mislead, to label the opposition, as a “militarist party, opposed to reforms.” It is sad to note that this campaign of disinformation has been effective in some circles.

Dear friends, we are living in the Information Age. CHP’s ideology, entire discourse, attitude, votes casted in the parliament and all of its proposed policies are on record and accessible to the public. CHP is the only political movement in Turkey that has truly internalized what democracy is all about. CHP is the leading party in Turkey that defends the true meaning of democracy.

The following question becomes important at this point in time: “How can the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament encourage Turkey to make a leap forward for extensive democratic reforms and social development?”

The situation is clear. EU’s  Progress Report as well as your report, the European Parliament’s Report on Turkey are crystal clear. As PES, too, has disclosed, the AKP government is moving Turkey away from Europe and drifting her away from the path of contemporary civilization.  According to these report, the areas where democracy has regressed most are hair-raising: the basic liberties of our citizens, women’s rights, independence of the judiciary, freedom of the media, freedom of expression and thought, freedom of assembly and communication, freedom of internet usage, state of the rule of law in general…

And now AKP disinformation is continuing on the Kurdish issue. They are trying to create an atmosphere as if “they are the ones who want a solution, but that we the CHP are, allegedly, against a solution.” Feeding even such a big lie is not all that difficult in present-day Turkey where there is no freedom of press, where auto-censorship is becoming prevalent, and where journalists who criticize the government are either fired from their posts or put in jail.

I would now like to briefly share with you CHP’s actual position on the Kurdish issue, as I have explained many times in Turkey:

• Firstly, CHP is the only party that has actually made proposals for the resolution of the Kurdish issue and shared them with the public. We made clear that ethnic discrimination and racism constitute grave crimes. We proposed a wide range of concrete policies: from the teaching of the Kurdish language to cultural rights; as well as expansion of the environment of individual liberties. Our basic references on the topic are clear: they are the EU’s Copenhagen political criteria.

• Secondly, CHP believes that the solution to the Kurdish issue can be made lasting and sustainable with a new constitution that would strengthen our democratic, parliamentarian regime. AKP, on the other hand, is bargaining with the PKK for an authoritarian, anti-democratic Presidential system with unchecked powers.

• Thirdly, we shall support all sincere steps taken towards the solution of the Kurdish issue. However, AKP insists on not sharing information with the public or CHP and refrains from bringing the matter to the Parliament in Ankara.

• The fourth is a very important point.  With total disrespect for the rule of law and under the cloak of secrecy, AKP is engaged in a bargaining process with the PKK – which is declared as a terrorist organization by the EU and by the US. CHP, on the other hand, under all conditions, wants the implementation of law and, as a state of law, wishes to remain within the confines of law and legitimacy.

• Fifth, it is not possible to bring about lasting social peace and reconciliation in the existing oppressive, anti-democratic atmosphere dominating the media and the society –conditions also emphasized in the EU reports.

• Last but not least, is the fact that 100% of the CHP electorate is in favor of a democratic constitution. The CHP electorate is keen on realizingstrong and lasting social reconciliation and peace – with the Kurdish issue, at the top of the list.

Dear Comrades,

As a party, the CHP is under many forms of pressure. The oppression on the media restricts our communication with society at large. Two of our parliamentarians have been imprisoned for the last five years. Yet there is no court verdict against them. All rules of universal law are violated.  Our MPs in prison are wasting away in small, isolated cubicles. There are thousands of other innocent people imprisoned like them. The AKP is carrying out a “witch hunt and practicing “McCarthyism”. People are living in fear.

In addition to AKP’s poor report card on democracy, The United Nations Annual Human Development Index displays AKP government’s failures in a concrete and objective manner.

Dear friends,

Turkey has the maturity and the democratic background to overcome these problems. In recent years, the EU is experiencing internal weaknesses in managing economic affairs, unemployment, xenophobia, and rise of extremist political movements.  All these  have, unfortunately, had a negative effect on Turkey, too.

We are all on the same boat; we are focused on a vision for a stronger democratic future, sustainable  social development, and a society of law.

The international order in the 21st century is rapidly taking shape. On the one hand, there are issues devastating the lives ofcivilians in Syria, Iraq, Mali, Palestine, and Afghanistan. On the other hand, important economic bodies are being formed, especially in the Western world. The Transatlantic Partnership between the US and the EU, EU’s free trade negotiations with Japan, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership under the leadership of the US,may bring about new shared standards to international trade and investment. The scope of these initiatives should not deal with customs tariffs only, but should also include consumer rights, social arrangements, as well as rules for the environment. It is in our hands to approach these new economic structures with a more egalitarian understanding, and turn them into opportunities that would serve the welfare of the peoples of the world. It is with this understanding that, within the framework of Turkey’s customs union with the EU, we advocate Turkey’s inclusion in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the EU and the US.

As CHP, we are the party next to govern Turkey. We shall make our country contribute positively in all fields, to the future of Europe. We have concrete policy proposals and action plans in every field. Under a CHP government, Turkey shall not be an instigator of war, but the protector of democracy, social development,and peace-keeping actor in its region.

The European Union can undertake a constructive role in this direction. We need:

• a European Union that supports Turkey more rationally in the process of negotiations,
• an EU that does not create further obstacles in opening negotiation chapters,
• an EU that does not give credence to the disinformation of the AKP government,
• an EU that is more effective in the realm of democratic reforms
• an EU that gives priority to communicating with the Turkish people.
• an EU that would remove illogical visa practices for the citizens of the Turkish Republic.

And most importantly, we need an EU whose politicians  tell their own peoples that “Turkey’s democracy and social development are crucial for the future of Europe, making its EU membership essential.”

Dear Comrades,

I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts and messages with the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, the most effective and influential actor in to convey them in Europe.

I would like to extend to all, my dear comrades in the Socialists and Democrat Groups, the greetings and the best wishes of CHP. I also would like to express my wish to see you and host all of you in Turkey.

Thank you very much !

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu

CHP Party Leader

Kılıçdaroğlu, who had already referred to Erdoğan as a “post-modern dictator,” denounced once again dictatorial ways of subordinating both legislative and judiciary powers. “The one who pretends to be an apostle of democracy, our new dictator who says ‘we are bringing an advanced democracy’ used to say ‘the day will come when the separation of powers will become an impediment.’ How can someone who sees judiciary and legislative powers as an impediment be the prime minister in 21st century Turkey?” he asked.

The CHP leader argued that the May Day events showed a clear drift toward authoritarianism. “It did not start on May Day. First they conquered the judiciary, the independent justice has been removed. Then, by the means of courts provided with special powers, they sent students, intellectuals, writers, generals and academics to Silivri concentration camp without giving them the right to defend themselves. They used the judiciary to install their domination,” he said adding that 4,000 militant prosecutors and judges had entered the judiciary ranks during AKP’s government.

“The independence of the judiciary has come to such a point that the prosecutors launch an investigation the day after Erdoğan gives the instruction.”

HDN, May/04/2013

Please also see:

• CHP Leader Kılıçdaroğlu’s assessment of the current condition of absence of the rule of law in Turkey
• “CHP appeals ‘Trade unions law’ in Constitutional Court” by Süleyman Çelebi, CHP İstanbul Deputy
• ‘I’m labeled a terrorist’s child,’ says daughter of imprisoned journalist and CHP deputy Balbay
• Turkish opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu promises full social democracy
• CHP EU Representative Sevinç: Turkey’s EU accession process needs to be revitalised because Turkey’s democratic future is in Europe

DAILY NEWS photos, Emrah GÜREL

The CHP will internalize universal social democratic values, says its leader, while accusing the ruling party of being undemocratic. The recent conflicts within the party are only natural, says Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, adding that the CHP stands alone in the quest for more democracy and freedoms. 

Barçın Yinanç, ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

Denying the importance of recent intra-party conflicts, which resulted in the resignation of an MP, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has complained about the comparisons being made with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

“The perception of democracy has changed in Turkey. When there is talk about democracy people think of the AKP, in which only the leader speaks and everybody else remains silent. However, the AKP is not a democratic party,” Kılıçdaroğlu told the Hürriyet Daily News.

He also stressed that it was only natural for every member to freely express their opinion within the party, adding that the CHP was the only party left in Turkey struggling for more democracy and freedoms. “We are alone in our struggle. We have no allies like trade unions, NGOs or universities. Rather, we receive support from Western civil society representatives,” Kılıçdaroğlu said, adding that he believed all the debates within the party would take the CHP in the direction of universal social democracy.

What is the message you get from your constituency about the direction of the CHP?

What is expected from the people, as well as from intellectuals, is change. The CHPneeds to change and reinvigorate, to internalize a universal rhetoric. It’s in that direction that we are working.

Change meets resistance. Is this how you explain the intra-party conflicts? Looking from the outside, the CHP gives the impression of an organization too busy with intra-party disagreements.

Resistance is in the nature of change. There is no intra-party conflict, but from time to time there are some differences in rhetorical language that come with daily political actualities. But there is a strong leap toward endorsing the rules of universal social democracy. There will always be discussions in the party, the opposite is not possible.

But at some stage different views need to lead to a unified, single rhetoric.

These discussions will precisely lead us to a unified rhetoric. We need an environment of discussion to reach that unified rhetoric. We are currently in that process, which is leading us to the rules envisaged by universal social democracy.

That sounds nice at the macro level, but when we go down to the micro level and talk about the terror issue, or the Kurdish issue, don’t you receive contradictory messages from your constituency? One side looks positively on Kurdish demands, while the other side worries about whether this will lead to the disintegration of the country? Are you not in the cross fire between these two trends?

The concern about the division of the country is widespread, not only among CHPsupporters but also among the whole of society. This conviction is fed by the mistaken policies that are followed. As the CHP, we are careful not to endorse policies that are discriminatory. There are parties that are implementing policies based on ethnic identity and religious conscience. That’s why we said when we went to the east and the southeast: “We respect your ethnic identity and our solution is the most rational one.” We said that security policies could not solve the problem and proposed the establishment of a commission in Parliament, as well as a “wise men” group to work simultaneously, because the problem requires societal consensus.

Where does the CHP stand with regard to the demands of the Kurds?

On Kurdish education, for instance, we say that everybody should learn their mother tongue, but there should not be education in Kurdish because that will have a disintegrative effect on society.

How strong is the concern about the disintegration of the country? Some claim that the CHP’s constituency is far more self confident on those issues than theCHP itself.

Our constituency is self confident about itself and the country, but there are a number of factors that feed pessimism. Neither we nor our constituency has a favorable view on regional autonomy. When the issue is voiced, the worries of division are strengthened. Talk about removing “Turkish identity” from the Constitution also creates worries.

What exactly did you mean when you said you had “opened credit” on the peace process (the talks with the jailed leader of the PKK)?

We have opened credit with conditions. We told the government to give us information about the talks and not to engage in commitments that are unacceptable to the nation. The government has not accepted our path for a solution; it wants to follow another way. We tell them that if they really want the arms to be silenced then they should explain to us how they propose to do it. But they have not come back to us yet.

The CHP seems to be divided on that process as well.

There may be some different statements, but there is no division. The rhetoric of some of our friends went beyond its purpose, but I have warned them.

Where have you made a difference, since taking over the party?

I am the party leader who voiced the issue of removal of the 10 percent electoral threshold for the first time.

The political party law dating from the Sept. 12 coup period needs to change. So I said that we should change all the coup laws. Both of these things were rejected by the [Justice and Development Party] AKP, which is itself hiding behind the coup laws. I have said that the “special authority” courts are not providing adequate justice. The government first chose to hide behind these courts and then abolished them, changed their name, but said they would continue to consider the existing cases.

I said the path to democracy and freedoms passed from the media. I said we should introduce all the necessary legal amendments that would provide media freedom and we would support it. Turkey, however, has made a historic first during the AKP’s tenure, topping the list for the number of jailed journalists in the world.

I am the party leader who voiced in the world that one of Turkey’s fundamental problems was democracy and freedom. These are now being mentioned in all the reports of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, as well as NGOs such as Reporters Without Borders. This happened thanks to us.

What is the direction in which Kılıçdaroğlu wants to take the CHP?

Kılıçdaroğlu will take the party wherever universal social democracy will take it.

So you do accept that the CHP, in the eyes of many, was a party that closed its doors to the Kurds, Alevis, and non–Muslim minorities?

This has completely changed. The prime minister used to say: “Kılıçdaroglu cannot go beyond Sivas.” But we are going to all the provinces in Turkey. It is the prime minister who now represents the status quo, he has closed the doors to freedoms and change. We want change and freedoms and he is the one resisting it. We want a contemporary Constitution, but he does not want this. All he wants is to seek how he can hold on to the powers he has as prime minister when he becomes president.

The former CHP administration was criticized by leaving all international platforms to the AKP. What has been your policy of establishing contacts with foreign interlocutors?

This is very important to me. I became deputy head of the Socialist International. TheCHP is getting reorganized in Strasbourg, Brussels, Berlin, Paris, Frankfurt, the Netherlands, and in many other places. My friends will make openings [on Sunday] in nine different places in Germany. We want to build a more healthy and consistent relationship with the German Social Democratic party. Our women and youth branches have already started to forge stronger ties with them. I will also go to London in mid-February, to a meeting of the U.K. Labour Party, where I’ll be the only foreign speaker.

We are the only party to voice in international platforms the fact that having jailed journalists is not a bright record for Turkey. The reason why the prime minister repeatedly says “you go abroad and talk against Turkey” is because he is disturbed that we are voicing his unlawful, anti-democratic policies.

What is the perception of the CHP in the outside world?

There was a negative perception, but that perception has changed to a large degree. There is now the perception that we are a social democratic party in the Western and modern sense.

What is the roadmap of the CHP for the upcoming elections.

We have endorsed a strategy for the local elections and we are implementing it step by step. We want to announce our candidates early in places where we do not hold the municipalities, so that they can start working early. The government is using all the organs of the state to put pressure on CHP municipalities.

We also have the constitutional process. We really want a constitution based on freedoms and we are genuinely contributing to it. We don’t find it useful that the prime minister has set a deadline for March – the talks need to be matured in time.

According to public polls, there has not been much of a change in the level of support for the CHP.

I am not that pessimistic. But we have the following deficit: The social democratic parties across the world all act together with the trade unions, but the trade unions were terminated in Turkey. Social democratic parties act with strong civil society institutions, but where are these in Turkey? Social democratic parties move with universities that favor independent and free contemporary policies, but where are these in Turkey? We are left as the only ones favoring more freedoms in Turkey.

So you say you have no allies.

To a great extent we have no allies. Show me an ally. We are fighting alone right now.

In such circumstances do you assume that you won’t be able to win the elections?

We know we have a long and bumpy road ahead. But right now we are instead receiving support from the West; from its civil society and media.

So is your new ally the West?

Not in term of states. But think tanks, people in science, and universities all subscribe to what we say. Governments prefer not to see Turkey’s democratic deficit because of certain interests.