HDP denies EU envoys’ urgings over upcoming polls

ANKARA

HDP leader Selahattin Demirtaş addresses his parliamentary group. AA photo

The People’s Democracy Party (HDP) has denied that the envoys of the European Union countries urged its co-chairman Selahattin Demirtaş that the decision to run for the parliament as the political party was risky.  The message was delivered to Demirtaş by the envoys at a luncheon that has taken place in Ankara on Jan. 29.

“There was no even littlest suggestion or hint made by the EU or by the ambassadors to our party about the elections during the said meeting. Such a thing is also impossible,” read a written statement issued by the HDP Jan. 31.  It also said the story published by the HDN was not reflecting the truth.

Despite the HDP’s statement, the Hürriyet Daily News stands behind the veracity of its reporting. The story was confirmed by sources in which the HDN has full confidence and who were present at the said meeting. The story reflected the common message delivered by some ambassadors from the EU countries not only through the Jan. 29 luncheon but also through their bilateral meetings with Selahattin Demirtaş last week. This message was as follows:

“It’s too risky to run for parliament as a party. For the sake of the peace process, it would be wiser to seek other ways to re-enter to parliament. The HDP’s presence in parliament is the best way to secure its legitimization, and this process should not be abandoned. In the event that the HDP remains below the threshold, the prospects of continuing meaningful talks to end the Kurdish question will diminish.”