"CHP’s visit to Gülen organization a ‘unifying action’"

The main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) recent visit to the Turkic American Alliance (TAA), one of Fethullah Gülen’s U.S.-based organizations, was an “inclusive, unifying action,” CHP deputy chair Faruk Loğoğlu has said.

“There is no doubt that some circles will be annoyed by the breakfast we had [with TAA officials]. But we did not hide the meeting and announced it. The place we went to is an institution of Turkish citizens, and people may have different evaluations about their activities. If the CHP is the party of everyone, then we are in a position to reach everyone. Just like meeting with other institutions, we had a meeting with them as well. This is a principled stance,” Loğoğlu said on Dec. 4.

A CHP delegation consisting of seven members of Parliament, including Deputy Chairmen Faruk Loğoğlu, Sezgin Tanrıkulu and Faik Öztırak, Parliamentary Group Deputy Chair Enver Altay, and deputies Aytun Çıray, Kamer Genç, and Aykan Erdemir, visited the TAA on Dec. 3.

“This does not mean that we are tied to their opinions or have accepted their ideas. But a political party must have its doors open to everybody,” Loğoğlu said, adding that the CHP did not discriminate between people according to ethnicity or sect.

The delegation was met by TAA President Dr. Faruk Taban, Mid-Atlantic Federation of Turkic American Associations Executive Director Mahmut Yeter, Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians (TCAE) President Kemal Öksüz, and Turkish American Business Network President Talha Saraç.

The TAA said they informed Kılıçdaroğlu of their social, academic and cultural activities, while CHP head Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu shared his party’s vision regarding foreign policy, efforts to embrace different segments of society, and the CHP’s overall reception in Washington.

Published on Hurriyet Daily News, 04 December 2013, Wednesday