Members of the Abant Platform met in the mid north province of Bolu in Turkiye. The meeting brought together scholars, writers, intellectuals and community leaders to discuss the topic of democratization in Turkiye.

The past and the future of the current political parties were the center of the discussion.

Politicians who made the inaugural speeches complained about the interruptions to the democratic process by the Turkish military interventions.

Vice Prime Minister Bulent Arinc and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis participated in the meeting to represent the government.

Bagis evaluated Turkiye's democratization as a struggle from the EU perspective.

Meanwhile, Bolu Governor Ibrahim Akpinar made a surprise appearance at the meeting. The governor said one of Turkiye's struggles is the military making their own constitutions.

The Abant Platform will continue its meetings over the next two days.

The group was launched in 1998 with the aim of organizing a platform in which people representing different schools of thoughts could come together and debate problems of common concern in open discussions.

It has held more than a dozen workshops discussing a variety of topics concerned with Turkiye, including secularism, religion, the EU, the Constitution, education, globalization, social contracts, democracy, modernity, war and peace.

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