ANKARA
August presidential elections in Turkey will not result in any political or economic turmoil in the country, said Turkish prime minister on Tuesday.
Speaking at the weekly parliament meeting of his ruling AK party, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey in the past had been plagued by fluctuations in the economy during elections. In fact the opposite was now true, he said, during the last 12 years of AK party rule, the economy had even grown during elections.
Erdogan strongly denied claims made in some media groups that Turkey had a hand in chemical attack in Syria's Damascus suburbs in August 2013. He repeated that these claims are groundless.
Erdogan also criticized the Turkish court, in Adana, for releasing six police officers on Tuesday, two of them chiefs arrested a week ago on wiretapping and spying allegations.
He accused the prosecutors of being part of a parallel state. He reiterated that the government has taken action against the gangs '"nested in the state institutions and will keep on clearing them". Erdogan added that he will clear the judiciary of them as well.
Erdogan blamed the opposition for heightening the tension in the country during the elections by adopting aggresive language against the ruling party. A constructive opposition would contribute to the advancement of Turkey, he added.
Erdogan called on opposition parties to embrace the whole of Turkey and produce policies that will benefit all segments of society.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
