Yousaf blasted over meeting with wife of Turkish president in Istanbul

Former first minister Humza Yousaf is facing cross-party criticism after meeting with the wife of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The ex-SNP leader shared a photo of himself with Emine Erdogan, the first lady of Turkey, during the Global Donors Forum in Istanbul.

Mr Yousaf, one of the speakers at the philanthropic event, told Ms Erdogan that he and his wife were “sending prayers to you and all of your family”.

The meeting comes at a time when the president of Turkey has been accused of cracking down on democracy in the nation by locking up journalists and his political rivals.

The mayor of Istanbul was arrested last month for corruption and terrorism charges – charges which opposition leaders say are politically motivated.

And it follows Mr Yousaf’s controversial meeting with the Turkish president at Cop28 in 2023 in which he invited the leader to Scotland.

The former Scottish leader faced criticism within his own party at the time, with SNP councillor and Glasgow Girl Roza Sali – a Kurdish Scot – saying she was “disappointed and disgusted” by it.

On social media this week, Mr Yousaf posted a picture with Ms Erdogan, alongside the caption: “A pleasure to meet @EmineErdogan while attending the @GlobalDonorsFor in Istanbul.

“Her powerful voice on Gaza is an important one, at a time when too many are silent. We also spoke of the importance of diplomacy and Turkey’s role in conflict resolution & mediation.”

He would rightly never pose for photographs with the spouse of Vladimir Putin or Benjamin Netanyahu, so why does he consistently give Turkey regime a free pass?

Ross Greer, a Scottish Green MSP, said the former first minister – whose career in Bute House ended after he cancelled his agreement with the Greens last year – said the former FM had not learned any lessons from his previous meeting with Turkey’s president.

He said: “The Erdogan regime has inflicted a vicious campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Kurds, brutally cracked down on protesters and only weeks ago threw the leading opposition candidate in jail on nonsense charges.

“Humza Yousaf made a grave mistake when he embraced Erdogan in his time as first minister.

“Unfortunately, it appears he hasn’t learned any lessons from that error of judgement.

“He would rightly never pose for photographs with the spouse of Vladimir Putin or Benjamin Netanyahu, so why does he consistently give Turkey’s regime a free pass?

“President Erdogan is a tyrant and an enemy of democracy. Emine Erdogan has had journalists silenced for coverage she did not like. They are not our allies.”

Alex Cole-Hamilton, the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, criticised Mr Yousaf for “palling around” with the president’s wife.

He said: “Humza Yousaf might be out of government but he still knows how to put his foot in it.

“At a time when the Erdogan regime is jailing its opponents on spurious charges and using tear gas and rubber bullets on pro-democracy protestors, Humza Yousaf is busy palling around with the president’s wife.

“He should set out whether he raised the repression taking place in Turkey or whether this was nothing more than a photo opportunity.”

Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton added: “Humza Yousaf has questions to answer over why he felt it appropriate to meet with the wife of such a controversial figure.

“This timing of this meeting is all the more worrying, given recent events in Turkey and the arrest of a leading opposition politician.”