Turkey: HDP co-chair questions who is heading the ruling party and country

The co-chair of the pro-Kurdish opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) questioned in his parliamentary group address on Tuesday whether the Turkish Interior Minister is the top representative of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the AKP administration.

Mithat Sancar criticized AKP leadership over minister Suleyman Soylu's dismissing and severe remarks about HDP, a few days after an AKP delegation headed by the Justice Minister met with HDP officials to discuss the former's proposal on the issue of Islamic headscarf.

Sancar said in his address:

"AKP must make a decision first. Who represents the executive branch? Is it the Justice Minister or the Interior Minister? AKP first sends us the Minister of Justice and the party's parliamentary chairs, and then the Interior Minister ramps up his attacks and insults against us. Make your decision, is this country administered by you or Soylu? If it is Soylu, then why do you send us a delegation for talks? If the Interior Minister, who constantly incite hatred and adversary through a rhetoric full of insults, and who all the time poses with people involved in shady businesses, is your true representative, then who does the delegation that visited us represent?"

Sancar also criticized opposition figures who commented after the meeting with the AKP delegation that HDP was ready to cooperate with AKP.

"Isn't it us who carry out the most effective opposition against this administration and the regime it is has established? We are paying high prices because of our struggle (...) Our former co-chairs, deputies, mayors and thousands of members are still paying the price for having carried out this struggle effectively. Those who deliver their judgements on HDP from their secure shelters should try to acknowledge this."