Enlargement commissioner Fule meets with opposition parties, calls for a new constitution

The end to Turkey's parliamentary swearing-in crisis is very welcome, EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule said yesterday on a visit to Ankara, adding that the country needs a new constitution reflecting European values. Fule met with main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, and Selahattin Demirtas, the parliamentary group chairman of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), in Parliament. At a press conference with Kilicdaroglu, Fuele said the commission was pleased that CHP deputies had taken their oaths in Parliament after days of deadlock, signaling a return to the legislative process. He emphasized that parliaments, as centers of democracy, should be inclusive and comprehensive, something that is important for the credibility and functioning of Parliament for the maintenance of EU-led reforms. Turkey's current constitutional shortcomings should be addressed in a new constitution, Fule said, and called for a strong opposition, which he said is important for Turkish democracy.