CHP Chairperson Özgür Özel: The Real Change Will Happen When in Power

- "WE PREFER TO CALL CYPRUS A BROTHERLY HOMELAND RATHER THAN A FLEDGLING HOMELAND"

Republican People's Party Chairman Özgür Özel said, "Since we held the change congress, Tayyip Erdoğan says change 4 times in one sentence. It is very obvious that the change in the Republican People's Party has disturbed his sleep. I have bad news for him. There has been change within the party, but the real change will take place in power. We will change the government, we will change the President. We will not do this in a very distant time," he said.

Upon the questions of journalists in the TRNC, Özel said, "Today is 15 November, the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the TRNC. I had said that I would make my first visit to Cyprus after being elected as the Chairperson of the Republican People's Party. In the morning we attended the official ceremonies, in the afternoon we attended the invitation given by the Prime Minister. Now we met with the Speaker of the Parliament." Özel said, "Today, we are not in a fledgling homeland, we prefer to call it a brotherly homeland instead of a fledgling homeland. Even though our population and surface area are larger, we prefer a relationship with Cyprus that is maintained through good dialogue between equals, instead of turning relations with Cyprus into an older brother, sister formation or a mother and child formation. Of course, there are many problems experienced by the Turkish Cypriots here, and as the Republican People's Party, we will be closely following these problems. I would like to express that we have entered a period in which we will experience both our diplomatic relations and our heartfelt relations with Cyprus much more intensely."

WE WILL BE IN MUCH CLOSER RELATIONS WITH CYPRUS

Özel said, "Next year is the 50th anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation. The peace operation was carried out during the time of our 3rd Chairman and Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit. It brought peace to the island. On the 50th anniversary of the Peace Operation, we will organise different activities to commemorate both Ecevit and those who took this brave decision. We were very well received in Cyprus, everything is going very well. We will be in much closer relations with the brotherly TRNC."

I GUESS YOU'RE THE HEAD OF THE COUP

Upon being asked about the statements of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of the Justice and Development Party, Özel said, "What to say, the coup happened on the evening of 15 July, Özgür Özel was the first to call the Speaker of the Parliament. Özgür Özel called the AK Party Group Deputy Chairmen. What did he say? He said we are against the coup, let's open the closed Parliament, let's resist together. He shamelessly calls the person who said this shameless. If there is shamelessness, it is the height of shamelessness to say these things to the party that first announced its support on the night of the coup, opened the Parliament, and stood against the coup, to the spokesperson of that party that night, and to its president today. All coups suspend constitutions. If you do this with cannon and rifle, it is a military coup. If you disregard the constitution as you do, it is a civilian coup. What is being tried to be done is to get rid of the supervision of the Constitutional Court by disregarding an article of the constitution. It is true that there is a disagreement between the two high judicial bodies. The Constitution says that the decisions of the Constitutional Court are binding on the judiciary. If you say 'I am on the side of the Court of Cassation' against this, your side is the side of the coup, I think you are the head of the coup".

THE REAL CHANGE WILL TAKE PLACE WHEN IN POWER

Özel said, "Since we held the congress for change, Tayyip Erdoğan says change 4 times in one sentence. It is very clear that the change in the Republican People's Party has disturbed his dreams. He is busy with us, I am very pleased with this. I have bad news for him. There has been a change within the party, but the real change will take place in the government. We will change the government, we will change the President. And we won't do it in a very distant time. First we will achieve a great success in the local elections. Then, against this unsustainable form of governance, we will call for the ballot box for the general elections. We will change the President. That is why we understand that the word change is in his brain at every moment when he says change 4 times in one sentence. He is right to be worried," he said.

I AM THE CUSTODIAN OF ATATURK

Özel said, "Instead of seeking help from Abdullah Öcalan, it is much more explainable to criticise the unlawfulness against Selahattin Demirtaş. Demirtaş was taken while he was the chairman of a party, put in prison, and is still being held there despite many rights violation decisions. However, he is a pen pal with Öcalan, the murderer of 40 thousand people. He makes him read letters in local elections. At least he makes them say not to vote for him. Let our citizens appreciate who is really related to whom. We will continue to object to unlawful trials. We will not take a step back with Tayyip Erdoğan's mumblings." Özel said, "I am the custodian of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. I protect the republic that Atatürk entrusted to me. I am the chairperson of the Republican People's Party. I am sitting in Atatürk's seat. There is another entrusted seat, and one of Atatürk's entrusted seats is the presidency. We're counting the days to get it back from him. Let him determine the day he will hand over the trust. I give him the good news that it will not be a very advanced date. Apart from that, the insults he uses are because of his concern. We will continue to walk on our own path and leave Tayyip Erdoğan alone with his own ugly style." Upon a question about the protocol mishap in the TRNC, Özel said, "In a way that we do not think is ill-intentioned, they put us in a place with the opposition parties of Cyprus. However, after the Vice President, the highest position in the Turkish protocol is the chairmanship of the main opposition party. After the problem was solved, we took our seats and I sat right next to the Speaker of the Parliament. There is nothing to turn into a crisis. We do not worry about these things, goodwill is essential."