Turkey\u2019s main opposition Republican People\u2019s Party (CHP) leader Kemal K\u0131l\u0131\u00e7daro\u011flu has had a warm welcome this week in London.<\/p>\n
He had several meetings with the members of the Turkish community\u00a0 and his party representatives in London. Addressing the Turkish speaking audiences, Mr.\u00a0 K\u0131l\u0131\u00e7daro\u011flu was outspoken and clear communicating his concerns and policies for Turkey.<\/p>\n
The CHP leader\u2019s exchange of views with Sir Alan Duncan, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, took place behind closed doors. We were told this, too, was a mutually productive meeting.<\/p>\n
Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the main opposition Labour Party had an hour long discussion with Mr\u00a0 K\u0131l\u0131\u00e7daro\u011flu and his delegation about recent developments in Turkey. They also talked about Britain\u2019s exit from the European Union, the crisis in the Middle East, and the future of Cyprus.<\/p>\n
On Friday, diplomats, academics, representatives of the business community and think tanks \u00a0gathered at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, for a speech titled \u201cDemocracy and Stability in Turkey\u201d, \u00a0expecting Mr.\u00a0 K\u0131l\u0131\u00e7daro\u011flu to provide a valuable insight into huge problems facing the country.<\/p>\n
During his half-an-hour long presentation, Mr.\u00a0K\u0131l\u0131\u00e7daro\u011flu did not mention Turkey once. Instead, he spoke, at length, about the dangers of growing populism around the world and the threat it poses for everybody.<\/p>\n
As far as a speech about \u2018how populist leaders and their governments undermine democracy, the rule of law and freedom of the media\u2019 goes, it was a fine one. Full of metaphors and generalizations, his presentation contained very little analysis for an informed and influential audience, waiting to hear about Turkey.<\/p>\n
During the question and answer session, we heard the thinking behind the CHP\u2019s Justice March<\/a>, about the party\u2019s strategy for the 2019 triple elections, their criticism of the USA, the EU and Greece. Mr. K\u0131l\u0131\u00e7daro\u011flu had no regrets for his party\u2019s decision to vote with the government to lift immunity for members of the parliament which led to widespread arrests; neither did he think that having Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu as their joint candidate<\/a> for the country\u2019s first direct presidential election in 2014 proved to be a mistake. For 2019, he would, again, favour a candidate that the other parties would vote for, he said.<\/p>\n To be fair, Mr.\u00a0 K\u0131l\u0131\u00e7daro\u011flu was speaking in London on the day one of his party\u2019s mayors was removed<\/a> from his post by the government, pointing to further pressure on the CHP. A few days earlier, former CHP deputy Aykan Erdemir<\/a> was issued with an arrest warrant on spurious charges and all his assets were confiscated.<\/p>\n