Saadet Party General Administrative Board (GIK) Member Assoc. Dr. Necmettin Çalışkan hosted Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) Antakya Branch Head İsmail Dökmeci, IHH Search and Rescue Team Head Ömer Bilgin, IHH volunteer Fadıl Orğan and Ensar Foundation Provincial Head Hüseyin Yanmaz at his workplace. During the visit, where ideas were exchanged on humanitarian aid activities in Turkey, İsmail Dökmeci gave information about IHH's aid activities in Syria. Expressing his satisfaction with the visit, Necmettin Çalışkan made important statements regarding both the aid activities in Syria and the terrorist incidents.
“GIVING FLOUR AID TO A PLACE THAT BOMBED MEANS SAYING TO PEOPLE DON'T DIE HUNGRY”
Speaking at the visit, Saadet Party GIK Member Assoc. Dr. Necmettin Çalışkan stated that he closely follows the works of IHH and said, “The most important service is the service to humanity. The activities of aid organizations are very important in this respect. Your work and help as non-governmental organizations are valuable, but the main thing is the political dimension of the work. The political dimension is just as important as your charity activity. Because these aids are of course good, but donating flour to a place where bombs are falling means that people do not die of hunger. Making sure people don't die is contributing to peace. We consider the steps to be taken towards peace between our country and Syria in the recent period as positive, even if it is too late.”
“THE RESERVATIONS OF THE OPPONENTS MUST BE GUARANTEED”
Talking about the dimensions of the political crisis in Syria, Necmettin Çalışkan said, “However, at this point, the reservations of the Syrian opposition, both living in the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) region and those living in the Euphrates Shield Peace Zone, must be assured. If we say that we have only signed an agreement with Syria and leave the opposition to the mercy of the regime, this would not be the right behavior. We should give an assurance to the dissidents who trust our country, both on their way back and in the regions currently in their countries. We must ensure that they are insured. As a guarantor country, we need to be involved in some way. Perhaps, in the future, these regions can transform into a federal structure similar to the one in Northern Iraq. It is very important to stop the war, then to ensure the safety of life and to ensure the peaceful life of these people. In other words, it should be known that the work will not end with the signing of the two states.”
“WE ESTABLISHED A SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM”
Stating that they are in an effort to deliver the relics that have reached them to the needy in the best way possible, İsmail Dökmeci, President of IHH Antakya Branch, said, “Due to the refugees in Hatay due to the Syrian war, our association is the branch that provides the most service in our country. We deliver in-kind aids such as clothes and household goods from all regions of our country to the relevant needy, to the camps in Syria and to other needy areas, and deliver them by hand and deliver them safely. In addition, as the IHH management, we established the search and rescue team. With this team, after completing the bureaucratic procedures and receiving the necessary training, we will fill a big gap in this area in our region. Our Head of Search and Rescue, Mr. Ömer Bilgin, will continue to work with his team, which consists of volunteers and different professional groups, as well as his staff.”