The CHP’s foreign policy stance

Since Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has claimed the chairman’s seat of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, eyes are on the new administration’s attitude about the latest developments inside.

As terror escalates, heated discussions continue on the Constitutional amendment package and the referendum is at the corner, it is natural for Kılıçdaroğlu to share his views on these specific issues.

In the meantime, critical developments take place in foreign policy. We witness success and trouble at the same time.

Kılıçdaroğlu had no chance to speak about these issues yet. For this reason, an interview by Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review with the new CHP leader shed a light on how he thinks of some specific foreign policy issues.

The interview covered Iran, Israel, Hamas and “political shift”.

To sum it up, Kılıçdaroğlu’s remarks about Iran reflects a clear-cut stance against the government’s policy. According to the CHP chairman, the support that the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, government provides to Iran and the “exchange” agreement signed with Iran have caused isolation of Turkey in international arena. As Kılıçdaroğlu put, the P-5+1 group was not in content with efforts of Turkey.

However, the CHP leader said that he doesn’t want any of our neighboring countries to own nuclear weapons.

Criticisms targeting the government

Remarks of Kılıçdaroğlu on the Mavi Marmara humanitarian aid ship assault are quite interesting. The CHP holds the government party responsible because of the deaths on board. And the CHP asserts that the ship was sent to the area despite Israeli warnings and the government knew it. Kılıçdaroğlu claims some dark forces were involved in the crisis and the AKP aimed to change political agenda in the country. He asked the release of information that has been held so far.

Kılıçdaroğlu kept on criticizing the government on the Hamas issue as well. Of the AKP siding with Hamas is a deadly mistake, Kılıçdaroğlu said.

Hamas is not a political organization and regarded as a terrorist organization in the West. It is not our policy to intervene in some other’s internal issues and support one particular party against others, he added.

On the issue of “shift of political axis” Kılıçdaroğlu reminded that the new foreign policy of Turkey is the cause of concerns. However, he also accused the West for not hearing about the CHP criticisms over the AKP’s performance regarding rights and freedoms issue. “But now they see the AKP is not what the one they had in mind…”

A different attitude

Statements of Kılıçdaroğlu during the interview are only a part of the CHP’s foreign policy approach. Other than usual criticisms on the government the CHP in at least three or four other specific matters has adopted a different approach, different from the old “leftist-nationalist” discourses. Although they are not in depth yet, all seem something new in the CHP policy.

However, in order to see if the new party administration will adopt somewhat more different approach in foreign policy, we have to hear comprehensive statements by Kılıçdaroğlu.

* Mr. Sami Kohen is a columnist for daily Milliyet in which this piece appeared Wednesday. It was translated into English by the Daily News staff.