Parties exchange Eid greetings amid rare meetings

ANKARA

Political parties exchanged traditional Eid al-Fitr greetings on the second day of the Muslim holiday on March 31, with some rare meetings marking the occasion.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) received holiday visits from delegations representing the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Free Cause Party (HÜDA PAR), İYİ (Good) Party, Patriotic Party (VP), Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), Motherland Party, Great Unity Party (BBP), Democratic Left Party (DSP) and the True Path Party. The AKP also reciprocated the visits.

For the first time, the MHP and the DEM Party exchanged holiday visits. The MHP had never previously held Eid meetings with the pro-Kurdish party or its predecessors.

The MHP's reception delegation was led by deputy leader Zühal Topcu, along with party officials Turan Şahin and Özmen Alp Giray Erdemir. A separate MHP delegation visiting other parties was headed by secretary-general İsmet Büyükataman, with members Esma Özdaşlı and Şahin Kartal.

The MHP received visits from the DSP, Felicity Party (SP), Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA Party), Future Party and BBP, while also paying reciprocal visits to these parties.

This year marked the first time in a decade that the DEM Party, or its predecessor the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), exchanged Eid greetings with the AKP. The last such meeting occurred in the eastern city of Diyarbakır in 2015.

The DEM Party's renewed holiday visits with the ruling alliance partners followed a government decision to permit jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan to receive visitors after years of isolation.

Öcalan's recent meeting resulted in a televised statement on Feb. 27, where the DEM Party read a message from him calling for the terror group to disarm and dissolve.

His engagement with political leaders followed MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli's invitation for him to renounce terrorism in parliament. PKK is designated as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union.

Meanwhile, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) canceled its Eid programs following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. CHP leader Özgür Özel spent the first day of the holiday in İmamoğlu's hometown of Trabzon before visiting him in prison in Istanbul.