ANKARA
Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkey’s president, on Monday denied media reports that he has taken Egyptian citizenship.
Erdogan, a board member of the Foundation of Youth and Education in Turkey, issued a statement Monday calling the reports lies and slander.
“Nor do I have Egyptian citizenship, nor am I running from any country, as claimed in the ‘alleged’ news,” the statement said. “Official records can prove this.”
Condemning a “reputation conspiracy,” Erdogan said “espionage and betrayal networks and their hitmen newspapers” would not make him leave the country of his birth.
Erdogan, the third child of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said his life was open to public scrutiny and that he was dedicated to educational and social improvement in Turkey.
“The purpose of such attacks is a political showdown and an effort to hold in alongside evil,” the statement added.
Erdogan's rebuttal follows reports in the Birgun and Cumhuriyet newspapers and on the odatv.com website.
In an apparent reference to the forthcoming June 7 general election, Erdogan called for the electorate not to allow 13 years of Justice and Development Party government to be reversed.
“I believe that a strengthened Turkey will continue assuming the role it deserves and these elections will open the doors for the country’s progress, strengthening our goals,” he told journalists Monday.
