Turkey's main opposition leader to visit Washington in late November

ANKARA

The main opposition Republican People’s Party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu will visit the United States between Nov. 30 and Dec. 4, the party’s deputy chair Erdoğan Toprak has said.

Toprak defended the visit and said they are not going to Washington for ratification talks. The CHP leader is expected to meet with members of the U.S. House and Senate, think tanks, media representatives, and members of the Turkish community during his visit.

Toprak said Kılıçdaroğlu’s visit is aimed at defending Turkey’s interests, citing the party’s visit to China, Iraq and Egypt. The U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Francis Ricciardone, said last month that Kılıçdaroğlu would be welcome for a visit to Washington, where he would also be met with interest by executives from the U.S. administration as well as members of Congress. Kılıçdaoğlu and Ricciardone had a private dinner on Oct. 23, but both sides were tightlipped about what was discussed.