Not taking safety precautions is not a security gap: Deputy PM

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

AA Photo

Not taking safety precautions at the scene of the double suicide bombings in Ankara cannot be considered a security gap, Deputy Prime Minister Tuğrul Türkeş has claimed in an interview with Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency.

During the interview, Türkeş said an investigation had been launched to determine whether there was any security lapse during the attack, while arguing that the lack of security measures could not be considered a weakness.

“People arrive there in buses, trains and walk toward the square for two-three kilometers. There are also people who arrive at the train station but do not intend to attend the rally. What kind of security measures can one take? The state can only control entries and exits,” he said. 

Türkeş also denied that responsibility rested with the government, arguing that the interim government which is composed almost entirely of Justice and Development Party (AKP) members, could not be held responsible. 

“They [referring to other political parties] avoided responsibility by not entering the election government. Holding those of us who assumed responsibility to account is carelessness,” Türkeş said. 

The deputy PM also claimed the Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (HDP) peaceful rhetoric did not reflect the reality and reiterated the claim that the HDP is the political wing of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Türkeş was expelled from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) after he accepted an offer to join the country’s interim cabinet. The Ankara deputy is the son of MHP founder Alparslan Türkeş. 

He became the deputy prime minister of the new cabinet formed on Aug. 28 in the run-up to the Nov. 1 election.