Turkey's opposition leaders voiced their concerns over Iraqi Turkmen who have fled to other regions, mainly under Kurdish control, following the seizure of several cities by militants led by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Speaking at his party group meeting on Tuesday, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu called on the government to prompt international organizations to secure and deliver humanitarian aid to thousands of Iraqi Turkmen.
Militants linked with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) abducted 49 people from the Turkish consulate in Mosul, one day after taking 31 Turkish lorry drivers hostage.
Kilicdaroglu said that Turkey has substantially lost its power in the Middle East, as the abductees have not been released yet.
He criticized Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, commenting that "he even cannot say 'terrorist organization' for ISIL."
At his party group meeting, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli said that as ISIL continues with their occupation, Turkmen are under serious attack and they have initiated an aid campaign for them.
ISIL, who already control parts of Syria, have extended their reach into Iraq since June 10 when they seized Iraq's second-largest city Mosul and have captured a number of other cities in the north including Tikrit and Tal Afar. They also reportedly control Al Qaim, Rawah, Anah, Al Ratba and Haditha in the western province of Al Anbar.
Bahceli, speaking on the upcoming presidential campaign said, "Our nominee has made a tremendous impact and has drawn attention, because Ihsanoglu is an intellectual who has moral values."
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, was announced as the joint candidate of the main opposition party and MHP. He is an experienced academic and diplomat, who stepped down in December as Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party has not announced its candidate yet, but it appears likely that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will run for president.
"It is obvious that Erdogan refrains from declaring his candidacy, however, his candidacy will harm both his party, and Turkey," added Bahceli.
The People's Democracy Party (HDP) co-chairman Selahattin Demirtas said that they will announce their presidential nominee at the weekend.
The vote will be the first time that Turkey's president is elected by direct popular vote.
A candidate needs more than 50 percent of the vote to be elected in the first round. If none of the three expected candidates receives the required percentage, there will be a second round vote on August 24 between the two candidates who received the most votes.
Meanwhile, MHP's MP Engin Alan also attended the party group meeting. The retired army general Alan was released from prison Thursday after a court ruled for the retrials of 237 defendants in the "Sledgehammer" coup case, a suspected coup planned against the ruling AK Party government from 2003 in which he was found guilty in 2011. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his part in an alleged plot which aimed to topple the ruling AK Party.
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