CHP Chair Kılıçdaroğlu in Diyarbakır: ‘Turkey needs peace, embracing, making amends’

* Photo: Bestami Bodruk - AA

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Republican People's Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu is in Turkey's Kurdish-majority Diyarbakır province for a two-day visit. Arriving in the city on March 9, he first met the mothers staging a sit-in protest in front of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) at the Teacher's House.

At the breakfast yesterday (March 10), main opposition leader Kılıçdaroğlu met Türkan Elçi, the spouse of murdered Diyarbakır Bar Association Chair Tahir Elçi, Nebahat Akkoç, the spouse of Zübeyir Akkoç killed in an unidentified murder, Zeynep Mızraklı, the spouse of dismissed and arrested Diyarbakır Metropolitan Co-Mayor Selçuk Mızraklı, and Ayşe Çelik, who was imprisoned for saying "Don't let children die".

Afterwards, Kılıçdaroğlu visited the shopkeepers in Sur. During his visit, citizens criticized the government. In response to this, he said, "We will hopefully send them away in the election and solve our problems."

'Means not used for citizens' good'

Kılıçdaroğlu also attended a ceremony held at the Sezai Karakoç Cultural Center for the ones who have recently joined the CHP.

Making a speech there, he said, "I know your problems. I will bring peace to this country. I will definitely bring tranquility. I will definitely bring fraternity. No matter what it costs, the homeland needs tranquility, living together, embracing and making amends. I will do it. We will do it together."

Addressing the audience, Kılıçdaroğlu said:

"You have suffered a lot. You have troubles. I am aware of all of them. There is unemployment, I am aware of them all. There is poverty at houses; I am aware of them, too, I am aware of all of them. This country is a very rich country. We have our means. But these means are not used in the right place. Our means are not used for our citizens' benefit. They are used somewhere else, they are used extravagantly."

'It is our fault; we didn't come'

Emphasizing "social state", CHP Chair Kılıçdaroğlu said, "CHP didn't come to this region much; I am aware of it" and added:

CHP doesn't have so many votes in Diyarbakır; I am aware of it as well. But we are to blame for this, not the people of Diyarbakır, we are to blame for this... We didn't come, we didn't sit, we didn't talk. We didn't drink your tea or coffee, we didn't sit at your table. We sat in Ankara and uttered some nice words. 'Why don't they vote for us?' If you want votes, you will go there and listen to citizens' problems. Then, you will say, 'I aspire to solve your problems.' I have come here. I aspire to [solve] your problems. I will solve your problems, we will solve them together. We will solve them together and we will make these all happen in tranquility.

Addressing the youth, CHP's Kılıçdaroğlu said that they are "the ones to change the fate of the country." Noting that 6 million 300 thousand young people will go to the ballot box for the first time, he said, "6 million 300 thousand young people will change Turkey's fate." He added, "My hope and expectation rests on the youth; you will be the true guarantors of democracy."

'We want peace and tranquility'

Further in his speech, Kılıçdaroğlu promised to "ensure tranquility in not only Turkey but the region as a whole." He said, "We will live in tranquility with all our neighbors. We will refrain from conflict. Together, as an entire region... I am talking about the Middle East. We will all together live in tranquility as a region. We want tranquility to prevail in those regions."

CHP Chair Kılıçdaroğlu's visit to Diyarbakır will continue today (March 11). He is expected to meet four people tortured in Diyarbakır Prison during the 1980 coup period, attend the "Tigris Dialogues" meeting of the Tigris Social Studies (DİTAM) and meet representatives from NGOs. (HA/SD)