Main opposition MP Tanrıkulu criticizes his party for supporting the operation in NE Syria

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Republican People's Party (CHP) MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu criticized his party's stance toward the Peace Spring Operation during a closed-door group party meeting on Wednesday. According to a source who attended the meeting, Tanrıkulu stated that as a social democratic party, the CHP ought to support peace. The MP said his party's endorsement of CHP's endorsement of a bill extending the authorization for cross-border operations in Syria and Iraq was wrong, the Cumhuriyet daily reported.

Tanrıkulu argued that while Turkey's military operation in Syria represented a victory for President Erdoğan, it entailed a defeat for the CHP and the country as a whole. He also said the CHP should react more forcefully to the dismissal of mayors linked to the People's Democratic Party (HDP) and proposed to set up a special commission to deal with the matter.

Some CHP MPs congratulated Tanrıkulu in the parliament backstage following the closed-door group meeting.

Aksünger: PYD not a terrorist organization

Meanwhile, former Vice President of the CHP, Erdal Aksünger, appeared on a CNN Türk show and criticized the government for not meeting with Syria's Democratic Unity Party (PYD). "I've been saying this about the PYD since day one. There should have been a dialogue," said Aksünger during the broadcast, which mainly focused on the "Peace Spring Operation". When the host asked him "Isn't the PYD a terrorist organization?" Aksünger replied "Not in my opinion".