“Power can be lost and won again,” Davutoğlu, a senior member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) as well as a former foreign minister and close adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said during an iftar meal in Ankara.
“But there is only one thing that cannot be remedied when lost. That is hope, those who lose hope cannot have a future,” said Davutoğlu, who was sidelined by Erdoğan in 2016 and forced to resign.
According to several reports in Turkish media in the last few months, Davutoğlu is working to launch a new political party. In recent weeks he has become a vocal critic of the AKP, particularly in a long critique of Erdoğan’s policies posted on Facebook last month.
Davutoğlu this time criticised the pessimistic atmosphere in Turkey, arguing that a new vision based on common values and freedom of speech could create hope.