MHP leader slams TÜSİAD chair for ramarks on Finland, Sweden

ANKARA

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli slammed the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD) chair for his statement regarding Turkey’s position on Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership bid.

“The chair of TÜSİAD dropped everything, sided with Sweden and Finland. What is the country of TÜSİAD’s affiliation? Let it be national for once,” Bahçeli said, addressing his lawmakers.

“If you can’t be Turkish, at least be human,” he said.

Sweden, which “TÜSİAD salutes,” has become the financial source of the illegal PKK group, he said.

In early June, TÜSİAD chair Orhan Turan elaborated on Turkey’s objection to Sweden and Finland’s NATO bid and stated that it is in the interests of the country to implement the policies to be followed in a strategy that prioritizes diplomatic refinements.

“We hope that Turkey’s problems and demands regarding the NATO membership of Sweden and Finland can be resolved through negotiations, by developing mutual understanding and in accordance with the spirit of alliance,” Turan said.

Bahçeli also criticized serials on the Netflix streaming platform for their content.

“Netflix shows that there are so-called comedians, with swearing and the most insincere jokes, are now out of bounds,” he said, suggesting that their content has swearwords. Bahçeli said these shows have scenes that “commodify women and corrupt men.”

Elaborating on the possible presidential candidate of opposition parties, Bahçeli criticized that they were not able to announce the name of their candidate. Whoever their candidate will be President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “will be reelected as the president with a majority of votes exceeding 50 percent by enormous willpower,” Bahçeli added.