Political parties offer Eid greetings via video conference

The political parties of the parliament on July 21 exchanged Eid greetings via video conference due to the pandemic measures.

In their Eid al-Adha messages, politicians underlined the importance of getting vaccinated to control the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) of the People's Alliance did not celebrate with the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) and the Future Party as it was last Eid.

HDP executives exchanged greetings with the Republican People's Party (CHP), the Felicity Party, the Future Party and the DEVA Party that included themselves in the program.

AKP'S Özlem Zengin and CHP's Ali Öztunç emphasized advocating the vaccination program against the infection.

Politicians must call on people of particularly southeastern Turkey, Öztünç said.

Zengin stressed that the vaccination issue was far beyond an individual choice. "I find it extremely troublesome to work against the vaccination campaign very recklessly, without academic and scientific basis," she added.

In his meeting with the MHP delegation, Öztunç said his party supports the recognition of Turkish Cyprus as a state.

"As a state and a nation, we have to do our part for the recognition of the TRNC [Turkish Cyprus] as a state. This business has no politics, no political party. Some may not remember the late [Prime Minister Bülent] Ecevit, but we believe that the struggle of the Turkish Cypriots cannot be remembered without commemorating Ecevit," he said.