HDP chair's comments amount to treason, provocation, Erdoğan says

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday harshly criticized the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) for their 'autonomy' statements, and said Co-chairman Selahattin Demirtaş's comments amount to treason and provocation.

Speaking to reporters at Atatürk Airport in Istanbul, before his official visit to Saudi Arabia, Erdoğan responded to Demirtaş's comments and said that everyone who wants to destroy the order in the country will be taught a lesson.

Erdoğan accused the HDP for exploiting democracy and said theirs was a 'democracy by name' but failed to adopt democratic principles.

"They must definitely know that the will of the people is stronger than weapons" Erdoğan said, and added that the HDP is not a 'party of Turkey' as they claimed before the June 7 elections. He underscored that Article 14 of the Turkish Constitution prohibit self-rule claims, and that the national will and security forces will not let such claims to become a reality.

The president noted that such steps are taken in efforts to 'revitalize' the terrorist organization which is being destroyed by Turkish security forces and common-sense of the people in the Southeast, who stand against the terrorists. He added that the necessary steps have been taken by public prosecutors in Diyarbakır and Ankara, who launched investigations for Demirtaş's comments.

Ankara Public Prosecutor's Office on Monday launched an investigation into the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Demirtaş over 'autonomy' comments.

Demirtaş, speaking to an umbrella group called the Democratic Society Congress (DTK) in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır on Sunday, said that his party would support calls for regional autonomy in the southeast.

On Sunday, the Democratic Society Congress adapted a 14-article declaration, emphasizing the necessity of creation of autonomous regions in Turkey, mainly inhabited by Kurds.

Demirtaş announced his support for the declaration saying, "Hopefully, our addresses will once again read and listen to this declaration calmly, and see that in fact regional autonomy offers a very important opportunity for everyone in terms of living together."

Moreover, Demirtaş defended the PKK terrorist organization's efforts to set up trenches and barricades in southeastern cities.