KONYA
Former football star Hakan Sukur's resignation from the ruling AK Party is "unethical" said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Konya on Tuesday while visiting the city to take part in celebrations to mark the anniversary of the demise of poet and Sufi philosopher Rumi.
Erdogan added that Sukur's resignation on Monday came as a surprise to him and said it is not "becoming" of him. "If he wants to act ethically, then he should also resign as a lawmaker, as he didn't enter parliament as an independent," said Erdogan.
In his resignation announcement, Sukur reiterated his devotion to the Hizmet religious movement, which runs thousands of tutoring centers (dershanes) in Turkey and is considered by many to be the target of recent government proposals to close them down.
Erdogan also said an investigation is underway into the death of four soldiers after the military helicopter carrying them crashed on Tuesday. The Turkish Prime Minister did not comment on the detention of the sons of two ministers and the head of a state bank under a corruption and bribery investigation on Tuesday.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
