HÜDA PAR Deputy Chairman and Gaziantep Member of Parliament Şahzade Demir has expressed concerns over the proposed “Agreement on the Establishment of a UN Women Türkiye Country Office in Ankara,” warning that it could have consequences similar to those attributed by critics to the Istanbul Convention.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM), Demir evaluated the agreement, which is expected to be brought before the General Assembly in the coming days. He argued that the proposal could negatively affect the family institution and Türkiye’s social structure.

“The Assembly must absolutely not accept or enact proposals that are incompatible with our societal fabric,” Demir said.

Concerns Over UN Women Agreement

Referring to Draft Law No. 147, which seeks parliamentary approval for the agreement signed between Türkiye and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), Demir stated that the organization’s activities raise serious concerns for his party.

“The stated purpose of this entity is to carry out joint activities in member states to implement legislation, policies, and frameworks that ostensibly promote gender equality but, in reality, aim to deny biological sex, promote genderlessness, and spread perversion,” Demir said.

Demir emphasized that HÜDA PAR views women as central to society and civilization, while also considering the protection of the family and future generations to be a matter of national importance.

“In this context, we argue that all legal regulations, policies, and projects concerning women and the family must be fully compatible with our civilizational vision, belief system, and societal values,” Demir stated.

Demir further argued that the agreement could expand the influence of UN Women, which he said references both the Istanbul Convention and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

“We have serious concerns that this agreement will expand the influence of the UN Women unit, which references the Istanbul Convention and the CEDAW system—both of which are incompatible with our societal structure and civilizational codes—and will facilitate its penetration into public institutions and civil society,” Demir said.

Calling on lawmakers to reject the proposal, Demir also criticized the United Nations over its response to the conflict in Gaza.

“It is crystal clear that the United Nations, which has remained a spectator to the genocide in Gaza where tens of thousands of women and children have been massacred, has lost all credibility on the issue of women’s rights,” Demir said.

Demir expressed hope that parliamentarians would take what he described as public sensitivities and national values into consideration when voting on the agreement.

Remarks on İş Bankası

Demir also addressed the issue of İş Bankası, arguing that the bank should not remain linked to a political party.

“İş Bankası is not the property of a political party but of the public. However, in practice, this is not the case,” Demir said.

According to Demir, financial assistance provided by Indian Muslims during Türkiye’s War of Independence played a role in the establishment of the bank. He argued that the Republican People's Party (CHP) became a shareholder through decisions taken during the single-party era and that the continuation of this arrangement is inconsistent with the principles of a multi-party political system.

“The continuation of such a partnership in the multi-party political system is contrary to equality of opportunity in politics and results in a public asset belonging to all citizens being used in a privileged manner in favor of a particular political party,” Demir stated.

Demir further claimed that internal power struggles within the CHP are partly driven by access to financial resources associated with the party.

He called for the removal of what he described as the CHP quota in the bank’s administration and proposed restructuring the institution in line with what he described as its founding principles.

“The most appropriate step is to convert this bank, which was founded with the assistance of Indian Muslims, from interest-based operations into a participation bank,” Demir said, adding that the institution could eventually play a leading role in global charitable initiatives.

Solution Demanded for Non-Existent Vehicles in Şırnak

Addressing a long-standing local issue in Şırnak’s Silopi district, Demir once again called for legislative action regarding thousands of vehicles that no longer physically exist but remain registered in official records.

He explained that approximately 3,000 vehicles involved in transportation between Silopi and Iraq during the 1990s ceased operations after disruptions in cross-border trade in 2000. Many of the vehicles were later abandoned, dismantled, or rendered unusable.

Although previous regulations enabled the scrapping and deregistration of many vehicles, Demir said that roughly 1,500 remain officially registered due to legal and administrative complications.

“Thousands of our citizens are crushed under ever-increasing Motor Vehicle Tax (MTV) and other tax debts for vehicles that no longer physically exist,” Demir said.

Demir noted that because the vehicles remain registered, affected citizens are also unable to benefit from certain forms of social assistance.

Calling on authorities to intervene, he proposed a legal arrangement allowing the retrospective deletion of registration records for vehicles that no longer exist.

“Such a step will relieve thousands of citizens from unpayable debt burdens and open the door for needy families to access social assistance,” Demir said.

Criticism of US Policy Toward Syria and Lebanon

In his assessment of regional developments, Demir also criticized what he described as a United States effort to encourage confrontation between Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“A project by Donald Trump, the head of the United States, to pit the Syrian government against Hezbollah has come onto the agenda,” Demir said.

Demir argued that efforts to push the Syrian administration toward conflict with Lebanon and Hezbollah represent a continuation of what he described as imperialist “divide and rule” policies in the region.

According to Demir, such initiatives seek to exploit historical disputes and border tensions in order to weaken regional countries and advance Israeli interests.

“Their real goal is to weaken neighboring countries by making them fight each other and to pave the way for Zionist regional expansionism,” Demir stated.

Demir praised what he described as the Syrian administration’s resistance to external pressure and called on Türkiye and other regional countries to support Syria in the face of such challenges.

“Türkiye and other regional countries must not leave Syria, which is being pressured through blackmail, alone; they must not allow these dark scenarios that seek to destabilize the region to materialize,” Demir said. (ILKHA)