Main opposition CHP accuses ruling AKP over ‘radical Islam’

ANKARA

CHP leader Kılıçdaroğlu (R) met with economoy reporters in Ankara. DHA photo

The main opposition party has accused Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of being the main financer of the radical Islamist groups in Syria, claiming the state’s assets have been mobilized for these groups.

“If you bring foreign radical elements into Turkey, train, arm and finance them, then it has a cost,” Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said yesterday at a meeting with economy reporters. Turkey’s 900-km border with Syria is only “a border on paper, but in reality those borders have turned into a parking area,” said Kılıçdaroğlu.

Asked the reason for the increase in discretionary funds of the state, Kılıçdaroğlu cited Supreme Court of public accounts reports of the budget being approved without being submitting to the parliament.

Stressing that this implementation was unacceptable, the CHP leader said nobody could talk about democracy unless the budget was controlled.

The discretionary fund of the state would increase if the government made “wrong calculations,” Kılıçdaroğlu said, referring to the fact that Ankara expected 10,000 Syrian refugees, but this number had reached 500,000, or even one million according to unofficial figures.If Syrians set up businesses in 81 provinces of Turkey and worked illegally, then the discretionary fund of the state would increase, he said. The CHP asked the government what it had used the discretionary fund of the state for. He argued that Prime Minister Erdoğan tried to manipulate people’s perception as if the CHP was connected to some terrorist organizations.

“You are the one who is connected, sitting at the table with terror organizations. You are the one who brought al-Qaeda into Turkey and armed them,” said Kılıçdaroğlu.