ISTANBUL/ANKARA

Turkey’s president and prime minister Tuesday commemorated the sixth anniversary of the passing of former Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan.

“I commemorate with respect and mercy the prime minister of the 54th government, honorable Professor Dr. Necmettin Erbakan, on the sixth anniversary of his passing,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan posted on Twitter.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, for his part, hailed Erbakan as a “great statesman, politician, and scholar who left his mark on Turkish political history”.

Erbakan died on Feb. 27, 2011.

Twenty years ago, in the Feb. 28, 1997 “post-modern coup,” the military effectively deposed him as prime minister after less than a year in office, leading to the collapse of his coalition government.

Turkey’s current ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party’s roots lie in part in National View, a political movement led by Erbakan.

Reporting by Enes Duran and Kenan Irtak:Writing by Handan Kazanci