PM Davutoğlu calls on opposition to take lesson from French solidarity over terror
Addressing Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputies across the country on Monday, Prime Minister and AK Party Chairman Ahmet Davutoğlu criticized those who labeled the Turkish state as a "murderer" shortly after the deadly Ankara suicide bombings on Oct. 10 and called on them to learn from French opposition parties, intellectuals and press.
"Those who do not have a conscience, those who called the state a murderer and held Mr. President [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] and I ‘responsible for the attack' while we were exerting all efforts to rush our wounded to hospitals and collect the dead bodies in the wake of the Ankara bombings, have to learn from the reactions of French opposition parties, intellectuals and press showed after the incident in France."
The twin suicide bombings in Ankara on Oct. 10 went down in history as the deadliest terrorist attack on the Turkish Republic. The attacks took 102 lives and wounded over 200. Pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş blamed the Turkish state just a couple hours after the incident when no details of the attack were clarified yet. In addition to Demirtaş's controversial remark, which drew heavy criticism, some newspapers lashed out at President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and put the blame on him, printing front page articles that called him a "murderer."
Offering his deepest condolences to the families of the Paris victims and the French people, Davutoğlu condemned all kinds of terror. "This heinous act once again has showed that the international community should be in uncompromising solidarity against terrorism and grow a mutual attitude," Davutoğlu said. He also underscored that his party offers a strong political will in the fight against terror.
Speaking to Daily Sabah on the issue, Yeni Yüzyıl University vice dean and academic in the Department of International Relations, Professor Yaşar Hacısalihoğlu, said he was not surprised at all when he saw the solidarity among European countries in the aftermath of the Paris attacks. "It is a significant tradition of the West to turn incidents that affect everyone into a national policy or interest. An internal consolidation comes into play," Hacısalihoğlu said.
Hacısalihoğlu said that national unity and solidarity have not been damaged because the people [in France] do not allow it. "There were strict regulations in France after the attack such as the declaration of a state of emergency and restrictions on social media. If it was the case in Turkey, a bunch of so-called intellectuals whose interests do not match with those of the nation would criticize it," Hacısalihoğlu added. He also underscored the defamation campaign after the Ankara bombings.Hacısalihoğlu expressed his dissatisfaction with France's record concerning close relations with terror organizations and asserted that Turkey has a much cleaner record compared to record of the West. "Turkey has never considered a terrorist organization as a tool," he said.
Hopeful about the new Turkey, Hacısalihoğlu argued that Turkey will crush all obstacles in its way and advance in solidarity with its people toward a bright future.
"Those who do not have a conscience, those who called the state a murderer and held Mr. President [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] and I ‘responsible for the attack' while we were exerting all efforts to rush our wounded to hospitals and collect the dead bodies in the wake of the Ankara bombings, have to learn from the reactions of French opposition parties, intellectuals and press showed after the incident in France."
The twin suicide bombings in Ankara on Oct. 10 went down in history as the deadliest terrorist attack on the Turkish Republic. The attacks took 102 lives and wounded over 200. Pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş blamed the Turkish state just a couple hours after the incident when no details of the attack were clarified yet. In addition to Demirtaş's controversial remark, which drew heavy criticism, some newspapers lashed out at President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and put the blame on him, printing front page articles that called him a "murderer."
Offering his deepest condolences to the families of the Paris victims and the French people, Davutoğlu condemned all kinds of terror. "This heinous act once again has showed that the international community should be in uncompromising solidarity against terrorism and grow a mutual attitude," Davutoğlu said. He also underscored that his party offers a strong political will in the fight against terror.
Speaking to Daily Sabah on the issue, Yeni Yüzyıl University vice dean and academic in the Department of International Relations, Professor Yaşar Hacısalihoğlu, said he was not surprised at all when he saw the solidarity among European countries in the aftermath of the Paris attacks. "It is a significant tradition of the West to turn incidents that affect everyone into a national policy or interest. An internal consolidation comes into play," Hacısalihoğlu said.
Hacısalihoğlu said that national unity and solidarity have not been damaged because the people [in France] do not allow it. "There were strict regulations in France after the attack such as the declaration of a state of emergency and restrictions on social media. If it was the case in Turkey, a bunch of so-called intellectuals whose interests do not match with those of the nation would criticize it," Hacısalihoğlu added. He also underscored the defamation campaign after the Ankara bombings.Hacısalihoğlu expressed his dissatisfaction with France's record concerning close relations with terror organizations and asserted that Turkey has a much cleaner record compared to record of the West. "Turkey has never considered a terrorist organization as a tool," he said.
Hopeful about the new Turkey, Hacısalihoğlu argued that Turkey will crush all obstacles in its way and advance in solidarity with its people toward a bright future.
Last Update: November 16, 2015 22:52