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Minister of Finance receives CHP officials to discuss policies
ANKARA
Treasury and Minister of Finance Mehmet Simsek met with the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (cogeneration) deputy leader for economic affairs Yalçın Karatepe on June 24, marking a movement in the ongoing period of “softening” and “normalization” in Turkish politics.
O meeting it also included CHP general secretary Selin Sayek Böke and deputy leader Volkan Demir.
Discussions were expected to focus on what Karatepe described as “impoverishing economic policies”, with specific proposals to increase the minimum wage and pensions.
CHP leader Özgür Özel had previously said that the party delegation intended to challenge government policies rather than collaborate on drafting programs during discussions with Şimşek.
This meeting is part of a broader series of dialogues initiated by recent engagements between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Özel.
The pair met at the headquarters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on May 2. This was the first direct meeting between AKP and CHP leaders since 2016. Erdoğan later paid a return visit to Özel on 11 June.
During the talks, Özel said he conveyed his concerns about the minimum wage and pensions.
“I said, ‘You are looking for a source, let’s find it together,'” Özel said at an event in Amasya on June 13, criticizing the indirect tax system, which taxes expenses rather than income or gains.
Karatepe and his team were expected to present proposals to defend a “fairer tax system”.
In an interview with daily Cumhuriyet, Karatepe also emphasized the need for an extra addition to salaries, with the aim of protecting citizens from potential fluctuations in exchange rates and prices.
Following the Erdoğan-Özel meetings, a series of dialogues continued, with several ministers involving their CHP counterparts.
These included talks between Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Mehmet Özhaseki with Gökan Zeybek of the CHP, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan with İlhan Uzgel of the CHP, and Minister of Defense Yaşar Güler with Yankı Bağcıoğlu of the CHP.
The last of these meetings took place on June 10 between Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya and Murat Bakan of the CHP.
The dialogues are labeled “softening” by Erdoğan and “normalization” by Özel.
Media reports said that contact between Erdoğan and Özel will continue. The president invited the CHP leader to a ceremony in Nicosia, on July 20, to celebrate the anniversary of Türkiye1974 military operation in Cyprus.
Özel expressed a positive response, indicating another potential meeting on the island next month.
Erdoğan’s discussions with Özel focused mainly on his AKP’s long-pending proposal for a new constitution. The initiative, without a parliamentary majority, needs the support of at least 37 opposition deputies to take the proposal to a referendum.
Meanwhile, Özel continued to highlight the economic difficulties faced by citizens.