HÜDA PAR Chairman Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu addressed a range of issues during his visit to Siirt, meeting with members of the press, representatives of civil society organizations and academics.

Yapıcıoğlu discussed several key issues facing Türkiye, including the “Terror-Free Türkiye” process, economic difficulties, the fight against drugs, farmers’ concerns and the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.

“Let weapons fall silent and brotherhood speak”

Assessing the “Terror-Free Türkiye” process, Yapıcıoğlu said efforts to resolve the violence and terrorism problem that Türkiye has faced for many years had reached an important stage.

He noted that the parliamentary commission overseeing the process had held 21 meetings and that the related regulation had subsequently passed the General Assembly with 467 votes, describing the result as historic.

“Our hope is that, God willing, from this point on, weapons will not come into play again; that the weapons will fall silent and brotherhood will speak,” Yapıcıoğlu said.

At the same time, he cautioned that the parliamentary vote alone did not mean the problem had been completely resolved.

“However, this does not mean that the problem has been completely resolved. It must be seen that this is actually taking place on the ground,” he said, emphasizing that the process must produce tangible results in practice.

Yapıcıoğlu also underlined HÜDA PAR’s support for the parliamentary regulation, saying all four of the party’s deputies had attended the vote and supported it.

“We must build the law of brotherhood on a solid foundation”

Turning to Türkiye’s social cohesion, Yapıcıoğlu said the country’s unity and solidarity must be strengthened and that differences should never be allowed to become sources of conflict.

“We have to be one, we have to be united, we have to form a unity of strength,” he said.

He stressed that disputes and disagreements should be resolved through justice, law and legitimate means.

“We have to resolve the problems, disputes, or issues among us on the basis of justice, on the ground of law, and through legitimate ways and methods,” Yapıcıoğlu said.

Pointing to developments across Türkiye’s surrounding region, he argued that strengthening social unity was no longer simply a political choice but an urgent necessity.

“God willing, we will resolve these problems among ourselves,” he said, calling for Türkiye to address its internal problems through justice and to strengthen what he described as the spirit of brotherhood associated with Manzikert.

Yapıcıoğlu said this approach was necessary to ensure that the bonds of brotherhood could endure for generations.

Strong condemnation of the situation in Gaza

Yapıcıoğlu also devoted considerable attention to the situation in Gaza, expressing concern over what he described as the worsening humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory.

He said international efforts to deliver aid remained inadequate and pointed to the extensive destruction across Gaza.

“And not a single construction material is entering there. Gaza is in ruins. In that ruined city, the genocide is still continuing. People are still being killed. People are still being massacred, children are being massacred,” he said.

Yapıcıoğlu also reacted to reports concerning restrictions on ordinary activities in Gaza, including children flying kites.

He described such developments as a serious warning about the need for greater unity among Muslims.

“Even this incident alone is a very serious warning to us about how urgently we need to ensure our unity as an ummah,” he said, adding that developments in Gaza and the wider region should be closely monitored from Türkiye’s perspective.

“High interest rates are a calamity”

Economic problems were another major focus of Yapıcıoğlu’s remarks.

He said a significant portion of the Turkish population was struggling with rising living costs, high rents, low wages and inflation, and criticized the country’s current economic policy.

According to Yapıcıoğlu, the strategy of relying heavily on exchange-rate management, restricting money supply and maintaining high interest rates had failed to deliver the expected results in reducing inflation.

“From here we make this call. We say: Review this policy of yours. That is, you have tried to reduce inflation only by suppressing the exchange rate, only by withdrawing money from the market, by keeping the Turkish lira weak, and by keeping interest rates high in order to curb demand. You have been trying to do this for 3 years,” he said.

Calling on the government to reconsider its approach, Yapıcıoğlu said, “Turn back from this mistake once again. High interest rates are a calamity. And a very great calamity at that.”

He argued that the impact of interest rates extended beyond inflation, saying they also contributed to unemployment and inequality in income distribution.

“Interest is not only a cause of inflation; interest is also a cause of unemployment. Interest is also a cause of injustice in income distribution. Interest is the main cause of many economic illnesses,” he said.

HÜDA PAR calls for tougher measures against drugs

Yapıcıoğlu also highlighted drug abuse and trafficking as another urgent problem facing Türkiye.

He argued that current measures were not sufficient and called for stronger deterrents, particularly when public officials become involved in drug-related crimes.

HÜDA PAR, he said, had submitted a draft law to Parliament proposing tougher penalties for those involved in drug crimes.

“We say that if public officials become involved in this crime, the penalty for it should be multiplied. We propose this,” Yapıcıoğlu said.

He described the fight against drugs as an issue that transcends political divisions and affects families and communities across the country.

“Whatever it takes, we absolutely must solve this problem, which is above parties, concerns people of every political opinion in every part of the country, and is very urgent,” he said.

Yapıcıoğlu called for stronger action to protect young people from drug traffickers and organized criminal networks, stressing that Türkiye must act urgently to prevent a new generation from falling victim to addiction and drug-related crime.

During his Siirt visit, Yapıcıoğlu thus brought together HÜDA PAR’s positions on political reconciliation, national unity, economic policy, drug prevention and the Gaza crisis, repeatedly emphasizing justice, social solidarity and the need for peaceful and lawful solutions to Türkiye’s challenges. (ILKHA)