Istanbul mayor criticizes European response to Gaza war

PARIS

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has called on European countries to take a stronger stance against the ongoing war in Gaza, questioning their commitment to democratic values.

"While Europe has positioned itself as the custodian of democratic ideals, can it sincerely claim to have consistently upheld these values?" İmamoğlu said during a special session of the Party of European Socialists held in Paris on May 3.

The mayor criticized European countries for what he termed as "outsourcing the migration issue to other countries," arguing that such actions contradicted democratic ideals.

"Another notable example is Europe's response to Gaza," he added. "Should we not speak louder and condemn the massacre of tens of thousands of innocent, including women and children?"

İmamoğlu, who was in Paris to attend the European Mayors Summit, was joined by fellow mayors, including Anne Hidalgo of Paris, Haris Doukas of Athens and Vitali Klitschko of Kiev.

During his address, İmamoğlu highlighted the recent electoral gains of his Republican People's Party (CHP) in Türkiye. He noted that the main opposition party's mayors now govern municipalities representing over 65 percent of the country's population and nearly 80 percent of its economy.

"The CHP has become the new center of gravity of Turkish politics," he stated.

Reflecting on his own victory in Istanbul, İmamoğlu underscored the emergence of a new social movement dubbed the "Istanbul alliance."

In the elections, the CHP secured over 37 percent of the votes, marking the first time since 1977 that the party received the highest number of votes.