Turkish main opposition party asks for change of FM or Syria policy

ANKARA

CHP Deputy Chair Loğoğlu. AA photo

The government should change its foreign minister, or at least adopt a new Syrian policy under the current minister in order to avert negative repercussions from the Syrian crisis, Republican People’s Party (CHP) Deputy Chair Faruk Loğoğlu said at a press conference at Parliament July 22.

Loğoğlu’s remarks came after People’s Defense Units (YPG), the militant wing of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), and al-Qaeda linked al-Nusra Front engaged in fighting for almost a week in the Syrian town of Ras al-Ayn, near the Turkish border town of Ceylanpınar and the PYD declared that all Kurdish-populated towns in the country had been liberated on the “first anniversary of their autonomy.”

Intervention warning

Loğoğlu said that recent incidents in Syria were, to a large extent, outcomes of the ruling Justice and Development Party’s Syrian policies. Although the Turkish government caused those developments, now they were asking for measures from the U.N. Security Council, he said, referring to Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s remarks that Turkey could not accept a de facto autonomous Kurdish entity in northern Syria. “These developments [in the northern part of Syria], which we think are progressing to some extent under the control of Turkey, give the impression that comes to establish grounds for intervention in Syria,” Loğoğlu noted.

He warned against any possible intervention of Turkey into Syria without a decision of the U.N. Security Council, saying such an intervention could lead both the region and Turkey into trouble. Davutoğlu’s expectation of the U.N. Security Council to take steps was “dreaminess” said Loğoğlu. But if Davutoğlu is giving a second thought to intervening into Syria if the U.N. does not take action, this is dangerous, said Loğoğlu. k HDN