02/11/2026 | Writer: Kaos GL
AKP Deputy Parliamentary Group Chair Özlem Zengin said that they had decided not to attend the “Women Side by Side Discussing the Future” conference held in Ankara due to its LGBTI+ topics.
Women from the AKP, DEM Party and New Party came together at the conference held at the Ankara Branch of the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) Chamber of Civil Engineers. Zengin, whose attendance at the conference had been announced in advance, did not take part in the event. Zengin explained her reason for not attending the conference to Candan Yıldız of T24.
“Our party’s policy is clear; this is an issue we oppose”
Zengin stated that they had made the decision to attend the conference after consulting with the AKP Headquarters, but reversed that decision upon seeing that LGBTI+ topics were included in the programme.
In her statement to T24, Zengin said:
“I was invited to the Women Side by Side Conference. A Türkiye without terrorism is important to us and is a separate issue in its own right. I discussed this invitation with the Headquarters, and we decided to attend. The AKP is also a party founded by women. We are part of the women's movement, too. We considered it important to attend this conference. However, we saw the LGBTI topics; our party's policy is clear, and this is an issue we oppose. We reconsidered whether to attend a conference where this issue would also be discussed and decided not to attend. I communicated this to Pervin Buldan the day before the event.”
The announcement of Zengin’s participation in the conference had also sparked debate on social media ahead of the event.
Tags: human rights, women, media
