CHP, HDP seek to reduce tension, call on PKK to stop violence

ANKARA

CİHAN photo

With the tension across the country rising following clashes between terrorists and Turkish security forces, two of Turkey’s opposition parties met to seek ways to calm the situation and issued calls for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to end its attacks. 

The calls came after Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu met with the co-leaders of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, on Aug 4.  

Saying the leaders of the two parties have discussed how to stop the bloodshed in the country, CHP deputy parliamentary leader Engin Altay told reporters, “We want everybody to feel at ease. Turkey will never ever be divided.” 

Terrorism can never be acceptable, he said, calling on all parties to take a united stance against it. “No peace can be demanded with weapons in hand,” he stressed. “The PKK should immediately drop weapons and adopt the language of peace. And the state should do its part. In order to let pro-freedom voices be heard, the PKK should absolutely drop weapons.”

Altay added the CHP will do its share to bring peace to Turkey, and appreciated Demirtaş over his genuine calls on the PKK. 

HDP deputy parliamentary group leader İdris Baluken blamed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) for causing tension in the country in the name of becoming a single-party government again.  

“The weight of politics reduces at times of such conflicts. That’s why we have discussed that weapons should be silenced. Both sides should remove their hands from the triggers of their weapons. The operations should cease and the PKK should end its attacks,” he said.