CHP leader plans Damascus visit to meet Assad

ANKARA

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel has announced plans to visit Damascus later this month for a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"I will make an incredible effort for Türkiye and Assad to sit at the table and solve this [refugee] problem and to find resources from Europe," Özel said during a televised interview on private broadcaster KRT TV on July 4.

Türkiye currently leads globally in hosting refugees, according to the latest report from the U.N.'s migration agency, with around 3.6 million refugees primarily from Syria.

"We will make the biggest campaign on this issue, as long as everyone shows the will to get rid of the refugee issue in Türkiye," Özel said.

The refugee issue has surged back into the spotlight following an incident last month in Kayseri, where a Syrian man was accused of molesting a child.

The accusation sparked a rampage against Syrian businesses and properties in the city. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya later said the child involved was also a Syrian girl related to her alleged harasser.

Prior to the events, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has also pointed to a possible meeting with Assad, saying it was "not impossible."

In related diplomatic efforts, Özel is scheduled to participate in a Socialist International (SI) meeting in the Romanian capital Bucharest on July 6, aiming to mobilize international support for addressing migrant issues.

"I will say [at the summit] that you cannot leave us alone on this issue, we cannot be your refugee warehouse," he stated.

The CHP leader criticized a 2016 deal between Türkiye and the EU on refugees, labeling it "shameful" for the bloc.

The agreement provided an aid package for Syrian refugees in Türkiye in exchange for Ankara's commitment to curbing irregular migration to Europe.