Main opposition’s Ozel says Türkiye’s polls choice between EU alignment, SCO ties
Main opposition party CHP leader Ozgur Ozel in party HQ in Ankara, Türkiye on July 4, 2024. (AA Photo)
Ozgur Ozel, leader of Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), recently declared that the upcoming elections will be a critical decision point for the country.
Ozel framed the election as a choice between two distinct paths: one leading toward greater alignment with the European Union, represented by the CHP, and the other toward closer ties with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which he associated with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the ruling AK Party.
‘Turning point in Türkiye’s history’
“This election is a turning point in Türkiye’s history,” Ozel stated.
This time, the referendum will be about whether Türkiye becomes a part of Europe, where the rule of law drives development, or aligns with the SCO, where strong leaders govern over impoverished populations. The difference between these paths is tenfold, and we are making this very clear.
Leader of CHP Özgür Özel
Ozel’s comments come as Erdogan expressed his ambitions just a short time ago for Türkiye to secure permanent membership in the SCO.
During a press conference in Washington on July 12, 2024, Erdogan stated, “Our goal is to become a permanent member. Türkiye should join the ‘Shanghai Five’ as a full member rather than remain an observer state. I discussed this at the Astana Summit with President (Vladimir) Putin and Kazakhstan’s President (Kassym-Jomart) Tokayev, and I requested their support.”
CHP’s Ozel past statement about EU membership
Ozel, whose party made significant gains in Türkiye’s last local elections on March 31, attended the Council of Europe’s spring meeting of the Socialists, Democrats, and Greens Caucus. At the event, Ozel emphasized the CHP’s commitment to Türkiye’s EU membership bid, saying, “We are ready to contribute to Türkiye’s EU membership bid by making diplomatic initiatives and taking the lead in convincing our European friends.”
Ozel also attended the Socialist International European Committee Meeting in Bucharest, Romania on July 6.
Ozel said, “CHP is committed to making Türkiye, as part of Europe, a leader in democracy, human rights, and the rule of law – our shared values. We cannot accept that Türkiye’s goal of full EU membership remains just words on paper. Our path to power is the path to realizing this goal.”
Ozel also announced plans to visit Syria and engage in direct talks with President Bashar Assad.
Ozel criticizes Erdogan for focusing on SCO
Ozel also criticized the shift, pointing out that the government has now turned its focus to the SCO in a written statement on July 7.
“At the beginning of their administration, those who pretended to aim for European Union membership, trying to secure the support of intellectuals in Türkiye through this goal, have now shown that what they did was mere dissimulation and that they no longer have any EU aspirations. Let us remember that they once pointed to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a target.”
Unfortunately, the target they indicated, as expressed by both the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the President, has an average national income of $4,500. On the other hand, the European Union target, despite the reduction by new members, has an average national income of $45,000. The actual average national income of the European Union is $55,000. We are talking about two structures with a difference of 10-12 times in national income. Of course, we also value Asia and Eurasia, including China, Iran, and Russia. But we are once again embracing the European Union goal that we applied for 60 years ago.
CHP Chairman Özgür Özel
These statements bring to mind the 2016 remarks by the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), an ally of President Erdogan, declaring, “Neither the European Union nor the Shanghai Cooperation, we stand for Turkish Unity until the end.”
Türkiye’s status in SCO
At the 2008 Dushanbe Summit, a new mechanism titled “Dialogue Partner Status” was introduced by the SCO to formalize relations with third countries and international organizations seeking engagement with the organization without holding observer status.
On 23 March 2011, Türkiye applied to receive the Dialogue Partner Status in the Organization. The SCO approved Türkiye’s application to become a Dialogue Partner at the Summit of the Heads of State of the SCO held in Beijing, China on June 6-7, 2012. A memorandum setting out cooperation modalities between Türkiye as a dialogue partner and the SCO was signed on April 26, 2013 in Almaty.
The ratification of the process has concluded with the adoption of the Cabinet of Ministers Decision dated 1 May 2017 in the Official Journal on May 24, 2017. Dialogue partnership envisages the improvement of cooperation between Türkiye and SCO in various subjects mainly in regional security, the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking and preventing organized crime as well as economic and cultural fields.
Historical background of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
SCO was founded in 1996 by the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan to build mutual trust among member states, to disarm the border regions and to encourage regional cooperation under the name “Shanghai Five”.
