The leader of the main opposition party in Turkey – the Republican People’s Party (CHP) – Özgür Özel , met in Spain with the Spanish Prime Minister and leader of the Socialist International, Pedro Sánchez, in a meeting in which they discussed various topics including the situation in Palestine and issues related to democracy and electoral security.
According to Turkish daily Hürriyet, Özel travelled to the Spanish capital for the meeting of the Presidium (governing body) of the Socialist International (SI), held at the headquarters of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), of which Sánchez is secretary general. The meeting between Özel and Sánchez, which lasted about 45 minutes, took place before the official start of the Presidium meeting and was also attended by CHP party secretary general Selin Sayek Böke and the party’s foreign relations coordinator, Şule Erten Bucak.
Founded in 1951 in Frankfurt (Germany), the Socialist International brings together 132 social democratic, socialist and workers’ parties and organisations. Since 2022 it has been chaired by Pedro Sánchez, while Özgür Özel holds one of the posts of vice-president within the organisation.
According to a statement released by the CHP after the meeting, which took place behind closed doors, the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and major developments in international politics. Özel stressed that the Turkish people value Sánchez’s stance on the Palestinian people and the conflict in Gaza, while highlighting his role at the head of the Socialist International in organising “democratic solidarity” between parties.
During the meeting, the corruption investigation that led to the arrest of Istanbul’s Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu in March was also discussed. In this regard, Özel denounced to Sánchez the absence of a formal indictment against the deposed mayor and called for strengthening democratic solidarity in the face of politically motivated prosecutions, which the CHP claims are behind of the corruption investigations currently underway against several of its mayors.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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