Europe should not leave Türkiye alone in hosting refugees: CHP

NEW YORK

Türkiye is shouldering a heavy burden as the country hosting the largest number of refugees in the world, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader has recalled, calling on the international community, particularly the European nations, not to leave Türkiye alone in tackling such a massive cross-border problem.

“Europe should be aware that if it leaves Türkiye alone [in tackling the refugee problem], it will push the [Turkish society] toward dangerous far-right policies. This, at the same time, can lead to a bigger problem. This will become not only Türkiye’s problem but also Europe’s problem,” CHP Chairman Özgür Özel said at a meeting of the Socialist International in New York on Sept. 25.

Özel recalled that Türkiye is hosting most refugees in the world and facing a lot of problems, including the rise of far-right policies and social polarization.

“The duty to tackle refugee problems and far-right policies belongs to all the members of the family who are present in this hall today,” Özel stated, referring to the political parties under the Socialist International.

Another issue Özel raised was the disparities at the global scale that leave billions of people in poverty and hunger, while around 1 percent of the global population obtains half of the global wealth.

“This is not just an economic problem but the source of social and global injustice. The duty of the political parties like ours is to fight against this injustice as the outcome of the neoliberal policies,” he underlined.

The CHP chairman has also mentioned the need to reform the U.N. Security Council, stressing that the fate of global issues cannot be left to the hands of five countries as the victors of World War II in the past century.

On Israel’s offensive against Gaza, Özel called on the Socialist International to activate the Middle East committee to end the conflict through a ceasefire and hold the next meeting in Ramallah.

Özel informed that he will pay a visit to the West Bank in the coming days to show the CHP’s support for the Palestinian cause.