SUPPORT VISIT FROM OUR PRESIDENT KEMAL KILIÇDAROĞLU TO AKBELEN FOREST RESISTANCE: YOUR BROTHER KEMAL IS WITH YOU

CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu arrived to Akbelen Forest in Muğla today, where trees were cut down for the expansion of a mining site. Kılıçdaroğlu was accompanied by some deputy chairpersons and CHP deputies.

The delegation accompanying Kılıçdaroğlu included CHP Parliamentary Group Chairman Özgür Özel, Parliamentary Group Deputy Chairman Ali Mahir Başarır, Deputy Chairpersons Eren Erdem and Semra Dinçer, as well as MPs Suat Özçağdaş, Ali Gökçek, Gökan Zeybek, Mahmut Tanal, Mustafa Sarıgül, Gizem Özcan, Utku Çakırözer, Mehmet Tahtasız, Barış Karadeniz, Sibel Suiçmez, Elvan Işık Gezmiş, Hüseyin Yıldız, Aşkın Genç, Süreyya Öneş Derici, Cumhur Uzun, Orhan Sarıbal and Namık Tan.

In his visit, CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu met environmentalists and villagers inhabited around Akbelen Forest in Milas district of Muğla province, which was occupied by the workers of “YK Enerji” company, who has started cutting down trees to expand the company’s mining area. Kılıçdaroğlu sat with 95-year-old Kıymet Aktuğ, who is renowned with the photo of her hugging trees.

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu listened to the demands of the people first.

Necla Işık from the İkizköy Environmental Committee emphasized on their demand to stop cutting of trees, stating that: "Is not the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry obliged to protect these forests? Is he (the minister) supposed to sell them to greedy companies? If Akbelen collapses, then Kazdağı (Mount Ida) will collapse, İliç will collapse, the whole homeland will collapse. We have been devastated here for five days. We have been calling out to the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry for four years to stop this cutting!”

After listening to the reactions of villagers and environmentalists, Kılıçdaroğlu said the following:

"I am following your struggle closely; I want you to know that. The reason I came here is not because I have just learned about your cause. It is to raise your voice, to provide a louder microphone to give you the opportunity to tell your problems to public. It is not very important that I speak in Ankara, but it is important that “you” speak louder and tell your problems. Because it is you, who have suffered from the very problem. You are the ones who are victimized and wronged. You are the ones protecting your own pine trees. But these pines are not only yours; they belong to 85 million citizens of theis country. The life span of these trees is much longer than all of us.

I am someone who knows what the forest means for this country, what lives in the forest areas, its ecosystems, and all these things. That is why I know, this forest does not mean just trees. There are birds, wolves, turtles, thousands and thousands of other living things in that forest. If we do not protect the “right to live” of each of them, then we cannot fulfill our responsibility.

When you cut down the tree, then you cut the water. When you cut down the tree, you kill whole nature. When you cut down the tree, you diminish the oxygen.

Although the whole world knows this fact, a group of gangs do not. Did I call these greedy companies as 'gang of five' at random? Did I say 'this gang of five is sucking the blood of this nation' for no reason? That was the reason I said these sentences. Do you think this is happening only here? The similar incidents happen wherever you go in Turkey. But you resisted and you are still resisting. As you will resist, your brother Kemal will be always on your side."

After his speech Kılıçdaroğlu visited the area where the trees were cut down and made an observation.

The visitors suffered from “internet restrictions” during their visit.

As a noteworthy detail, restriction of mobile phone and internet services did happen just at the time of Kılıçdaroğlu’s visit and his speech, while numerous TV channels and media outlets had been covering the developments from the region ceaselessly for five days.