ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag on Thursday rejected accusations raised by opposition parties that the democratization package was prepared in collaboration with the outlawed PKK, calling it the biggest slander against the Turkish government.
After a meeting with Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon behind closed doors, Bekir Bozdag lashed out at opposition parties’ accusations on the package.
As Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to announce the content of the package next week, debates surrounding the package has been heated.
Defending the package as a new step to meet new demands, Bozdag stated there would be new packages in the future.
Some politicians reacted to the package without knowing what is inside, said Bozdag, criticizing accusations that the package had been prepared in cooperation with a terrorist organization.
“This is the biggest slander against the Turkish government. Those who raised these accusations know very well that is not the case,” the minister said.
Another high profile figure from the government has defended the democratization package against opposition parties’ accusations that the package is the victory of PKK.
Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said on Wednesday that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has taken many steps to enlarge the sphere of freedom in the last 11 years and added, “This step does not have a close link with terror.”
Although there are many speculations about the content of the package, the government has kept its silence on details.
While opposition parties have portrayed the package as a step towards a concession against the PKK's withdrawal from the country, government insisted that the content covers not only the Kurdish issue but much wider issues.
Prime Minister Erdogan will announce the democratization package on September 30.
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