A democratic Türkiye to contribute more to Europe: Özel

ANKARA

New Party Chairman Özgür Özel (AA Photo)

A democratic and economically stable Türkiye will contribute more to Europe’s security and prosperity, opposition leader Özgür Özel has said, vowing it is time for a new beginning for the country.

“Our message to Germany and Europe is clear: The destiny of Türkiye is not authoritarianism and polarization. A democratic renewal is possible. The time has come for a new beginning for Türkiye,” New Party leader Özgür Özel said in an article he penned for German daily Die Welt published on Sept. 24.

Arguing that opposition’s Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and many other local officials are behind bars due to politically motivated judicial procedures, Özel said he had to form a new political party after he was ousted from the leadership of then main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in May.

“A new beginning is approaching. The New Party was born to meet this call for change. We have to be a political party that looks at the future with hope and guide the nation over new objectives,” he said.

Türkiye needs to be a powerful state and pursue a strong foreign policy, but this must be developed not by one person but by institutions, the opposition leader wrote.

“A democratically and economically stable Türkiye means a stronger Europe, a more reliable NATO ally, and a country that contributes more to regional stability. We can no longer postpone long-unresolved issues, including the Kurdish question,” he said.

He also said peace and democracy should develop together and a new political environment should be created for the uninterrupted participation of journalists, academics, artists, business world, students and other social groups to the political processes.