Main opposition CHP defends Egypt visit against gov’t disapproval

ANKARA

CHP deputies meet with Egypt’s Industry and Trade Minister Munir Fahri Abdunnur (R). AA photo

A senior executive of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has refuted the ruling party’s blunt criticism of their recent visit to Egypt, commenting that their visit was “a visit of embarrassment.”

“They say that the CHP is going to meet with the coup plotters. We didn’t go to meet with the coup plotters and nor did we meet with Egyptian military officials. Our meetings were held solely with government members and supporters, including party and opinion leaders. We went before the Egyptian people and we went for Turkey,” CHP Deputy Chair Faruk Loğoğlu told reporters at a press conference held at the Parliament today.

Loğoğlu, a veteran retired diplomat, visited Egypt last week along with another senior retired diplomat, CHP Istanbul deputy Osman Korutürk.

“Let me tell you where the embarrassment lies; the embarrassment lies among the [ruling] Justice and Development Party [AKP] government who cannot even go to Baghdad and Egypt. The embarrassment lies in the foreign policy implemented by the ruling party which inhibits itself from travel to many places in the region, including the [anticipated] Gaza visit.” Loğoğlu said, referring to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s long-delayed visit to Gaza.

Egyptians voice disappointment

Recalling that they also visited Ahmed al-Tayyeb, the grand sheikh of Al-Azhar, Loğoğlu noted that al-Tayyeb didn’t mention remarks made by Erdoğan on the sheikh’s position vis-à-vis the military coup in the country at all. Erdoğan said he was devastated when he heard that al-Tayyeb was endorsing the July 3 military coup in Egypt.

All other Egyptians, however, expressed disappointment over the prime minister’s remarks, according to Loğoğlu.

Deputies Loğoğlu and Korukütük conducted a series of meetings over the course of their Egypt visit, including meetings with Muslim Brotherhood figures, current Freedom and Justice Party secretary Amr Darragt and Industry and Trade Minister Munir Fahri Abdunnur.

Meanwhile, members of the pro-government Justice Everywhere Platform in the central Anatolian province of Konya sent “boots in blood” to the CHP headquarters today in protest against the CHP delegation’s visit. The platform said the boots, which were dipped in symbolic blood, were a sign of a pro-coup approach. Military boots are associated with military coup d’états in Turkey.

Konya is known as a conservative province as well as Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s hometown.