Kılıçdaroğlu announces opposition to the Iraq and Syria motions

The President of the Republican People's Party (CHP), Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, spoke at his party's group meeting today, expressing his opposition to statements in the motions that will be discussed in the Parliament today, which allow foreign armed forces to be present in Turkey. He stated that they would not approve of this.

Kılıçdaroğlu said: "The motion reads as follows: 'Sending the Turkish Armed Forces to foreign countries for cross-border operations and interventions as necessary.' Fine, we have no objection to that. If there is terrorism, if it threatens Turkey, our security forces, that is, our armed forces, will go and intervene. International law also allows for this. But the sentence ends like this: 'And the presence of foreign armed forces in Turkey for the same purposes.' A foreign armed force will come to Turkey for the same purposes and will intervene in certain events here. They are asking for permission for this. How can a party that founded the Republic, a party rooted in the National Forces, allow foreign soldiers to come to Turkey?"

Kılıçdaroğlu argued that the motion also grants significant authority to the President, and he recalled that even during the National Liberation War, the Grand National Assembly gave Mustafa Kemal Atatürk the authority of commander-in-chief for a period of three months.

Expressing their lack of trust in President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, recalling the Priest Brunson crisis in 2018 Kılıçdaroğlu continued: "You handed over the priest. How can we trust you? You came before the public and said, 'As long as this soul is in this body, you will never be able to get this terrorist, the priest.' Fine. What did Trump say? 'Don't provoke me, I will investigate your assets, and I will announce it to the world,' he said. Then you handed the priest over without hesitation. Am I supposed to trust you now?

"The Jamal Khashoggi murder. Society may forget, but our memory does not. Jamal Khashoggi was killed at the consulate. A case was opened, then a threat came, and they took the case to Saudi Arabia and handed it over. Am I supposed to trust you now?

"Therefore, when foreign troops come here, when you invite them, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and all CHP members will stand in front of foreign soldiers, and we will expel them. We have no hesitation. We will go together, we will fight together, and we will send them away. This cannot happen. This country is a country that fought the National Liberation War. I will not allow treachery to the history of the National Liberation War." (AS/PE)