Erdoğan makes fun of intellectuals his government included in the Peace Process

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President, Chairperson of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), and the current presidential candidate, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was on TV in a joint live program on CNN Turk and Kanal D TV channels yesterday (May 25).

Erdoğan used a surprising expression when talking about the "Wise People" group in the peace process during the 2013-2015 period.

The group of 62 people was nominated by the government of the period to work in the seven geographic regions of Turkey in order to support the peace process. 

Erdoğan responded to the questions of renowned journalists Ahmet Hakan and Hande Fırat in the program, among them a question about the solution process that his government conducted nearly a decade ago.

Erdoğan used the term "entel-dantel" to name these people who were included in the process to strengthen public support for it..

While "entel" is short for "entellektüel," (intellectual in Turkish), dantel means lace. The term is used to mock those who are either well-educated or who write or express their opinions in different ways, especially on political or social issues and problems.

"Those who participated in that Solution Process; the whole entel-dantel's of Turkey, all opinion leaders... We invited these people here, from all of Turkey. We did this together with them. There were artists, all of them were there. [For] meeting with the people, this was a step taken for the Solution Process..." Erdoğan said in the program.

The list of Wise People who were nominated during the Peace Process was as follows. 

Mediterranean Region

1. President: Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu
2. Vice President: Lale Mansur
3. Secretary: Tarık Çelenk
4. Kadir İnanır
5. Nihal Bengisu Karaca
6. Şükrü Karatepe
7. Muhsin Kızılkaya
8. Öztürk Türkdoğan
9. Hüseyin Yayman

East Anatolia Region

1. President: Can Paker
2. Vice President: Sibel Eraslan
3. Secretary: Ayhan Ogan
4. Mahmut Arslan
5. Abdurrahman Dilipak
6. İzzettin Doğan
7. Abdurrahman Kurt
8. Zübeyde Teker
9. Mehmet Uçum

Eagean Region 

1. President: Tarhan Erdem
2. Vice President: Avni Özgürel
3. Secretary: Arzuhan Doğan Yalçındağ
4. Hasan Karaya
5. Hilal Kaplan
6. Fuat Keyman
7. Fehmi Koru
8. Baskın Oran

Southeast Anatolian Region 

1. President: Yılmaz Ensaroğlu
2. Vice President: Kezban Hatemi
3. Secretary: Mehmet Emin Ekmen
4. Murat Belge
5. Fazıl Hüsnü Erdem
6. Yılmaz Erdoğan
7. Etyen Mahçupyan
8. Lami Özgen
9. Ahmet Faruk Ünsal

Central Anatolian Region

1. President: Ahmet Taşgetiren
2. Vice President: Beril Dedeoğlu
3. Secretary: Cemal Uşşak
4. Vahap Coşkun
5. Doğu Ergil
6. Erol Göka
7. Mustafa Kumlu
8. Fadime Özkan
9. Celalettin Can

Marmara Region

1. President: Deniz Ülke Arıboğan
2. Vice President: Mithat Sancar
3. Secretary: Levent Korkut
4. Mustafa Armağan
5. Ali Bayramoğlu
6. Ahmet Gündoğdu
7. Hayrettin Karaman
8. Hülya Koçyiğit
9. Yücel Sayman

Black Sea Region 

1. President: Yusuf Şevki Hakyemez
2. Vice President: Vedat Bilgin
3. Secretary: Fatma Benli
4. Şemsi Bayraktar
5. Kürşat Bumin
6. Oral Çalışlar
7. Orhan Gencebay
8. Yıldıray Oğur
9. Bendevi Palandöken

(AS/PE)