September 4, 2013

Senior AK Party officials on alleged rift w/ the Gulen Movement

Speaking about claims of a rift between the government and Fethullah Gülen's Hizmet (Service) Movement, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's chief adviser, Yalçın Akdoğan said the AK Party does not conflict with any such community. “The AK Party does politics for the sake of service and the Gülen Movement calls itself Service. We produce service in the political field and they are exerting efforts to produce service in the socio-cultural field. I don't believe there is a conflict between these two great structures,” he said.

Akdoğan noted that the AK Party opens its arms to all segments of society to reach the ideal of “Great Turkey,” which the party also calls its “2023 vision.” The party aims to have Turkey rank among the world's top 10 countries by 2023, the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Turkish Republic, in several aspects, including an advanced democracy and big economy. “We have to praise brotherhood,” Akdoğan said.

...upon perceived tensions between the Hizmet movement and the AK Party government, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç said followers of Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen visited many people to help the Sept. 12, 2010 referendum be passed by the public, adding that the AK Party government is still serving with the power they were granted by that referendum.

Arınç said Gülen has appreciated the government's activities for 10 years but wanted it to word its statements carefully. Arınç stated that both sides have previously emphasized the necessity to stay away from rumors and communicate directly to correct misunderstandings.

Excerpted from following articles published on Today's Zaman, 03 September 2013, Tuesday
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-325351-erdogans-adviser-presidential-system-still-on-agenda.html
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-325346-deputy-pm-turkey-indebted-to-ergenekon-prosecutors-judges.html

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