Turkish main opposition party to hold talks in Washington in July

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

Kılıçdaroğlu (R) tells the Daily News about the recent plans to visit the US. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL

A Republican People’s Party (CHP) delegation headed by the party’s deputy head Faruk Loğoğlu will pay a visit to Washington in July, before party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s visit to the United States as the party hardly criticizes the government about its stance over the Gezi protests.

Loğoğlu, a former ambassador to the U.S., will have talks in Washington next month about many issues, including the Gezi Park protests, Kılıçdaroğlu told the Hürriyet Daily News on June 15, at a tete-a-tete meeting about the ongoing protests in the country. Kılıçdaroğlu said the details of the meeting were still being discussed.

Kılıçdaroğlu is planning to hold a visit to the United States at an undecided date and the details of this visit will be also discussed during the CHP delegation’s talks in July, Loğoğlu told the Daily News on June 15. The CHP delegation headed by Loğoğlu will have talks with the U.S. Congress, State Department and some NGOs, Loğoğlu said. Various issues such as terror, the Gezi Park protests and Syria are expected to be on the agenda during Loğoğlu’s meetings.

The CHP is making the visit upon invitation, but the official invitation has not reached them yet, he added.

Meanwhile, Kılıçdaroğlu said in a written statement yesterday on his party’s website that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan intended to claim Turkey’s for himself, due to his unstoppable personal ambition and dictatorial understanding. He also said that following the orders of the prime minister was a crime in terms of international norms, as “the prime minister does not hesitate in dragging the country into a civil war for his own interests.”

Speaking to members of the foreign media on June 15 in Istanbul, Kılıçdaroğlu said his party would call anyone who uses pressure on their citizens a “dictator,” regardless of the country.