Turkey's opposition parties have voiced support for Operation Olive Branch in Syria's Afrin to eliminate threats by the PKK terror organization's Syria affiliate, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing, the People's Protection Units (YPG), with the exception of the pro-PKK Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).
The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) reiterated its support for the offensive, which was launched Saturday, during party Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's meeting with Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım on Monday, where Kılıçdaroğlu expressed the significance of the operation for securing Turkey's border. The prime minister had previously called Kılıçdaroğlu, who was in Germany, and relayed information about Operation Olive Branch.
"Our main strategy in Syria is based on fighting terrorism," CHP spokesman Bülent Tezcan Sunday said, adding, "We hope the Turkish forces will reach its goal [in Syria's Afrin against terrorist PYD/YPG] very soon."
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahçeli said it was necessary to prevent the formation of a terrorist corridor along Turkey's border and clear Syria's Afrin and Manbij of terrorist camps.
"It is our just right to block the terror corridor with an operation into Afrin at dawn. Afrin should be cleared and the terrorist's camps in Manbij should be destroyed," Bahçeli said at the MHP's parliamentary group meeting last week.
Bahçeli also said the MHP "fully" supports Turkey's operation against the PYD/YPG in northern Syria.
He also stressed that defeating the PYD/YPG in Afrin and Manbij was Turkey's national target.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Bahçeli discussed the operation in a phone call late Sunday, a presidential source said.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said Bahçeli called Erdoğan and expressed his support for the operation, which he termed as "crucial."
The nationalist Good Party (İYİ Party) and conservative Felicity Party (SP) have similar positions on the government's objective to clear Afrin of PKK affiliates.
A press representative from the İYİ Party told Daily Sabah that they would support whatever serves national interests.
The SP, a conservative party, says it supports the government's steps taken to protect national security against external threats, as it is a natural right as long as they are made within international law.
"I am hoping that peace can be reached as soon as possible and our soldiers can come back with the problems solved," said SP chairman Temel Karamollaoğlu in a statement released Monday.
The SP's deputy chairman in charge of foreign relations, Hasan Bitmez, told Daily Sabah last week that an offensive into Afrin to clear out the YPG must be conducted in a way that "would not damage the Astana or Sochi processes."
Two parties which receive votes from the predominantly Kurdish electorate, the HDP and the Free Cause Party (Hüda-Par) have different opinions on the operation. While the HDP opposes Turkey's offensive, the Hüda-Par says the terror threats should be eliminated.