The Turkish opposition calls on Erdogan to resign after the deadly earthquakes, citing as an example the attitude of the Greek Minister of Transport, Kostas Karamanlisafter the tragic accident in Tempe.

As SKAI correspondent Manolis Kostidis reports from Istanbul, there was an intense debate in the Turkish parliament regarding the treatment of the earthquake victims.

The parliamentary representative of the Republican People’s Party, Engin Özkots, commented: “In our neighboring country, due to the train accident, the relevant minister resigned immediately. Is there no one among us who must resign? Isn’t there anyone who has a conscience?’

Ahmed Sik of the Labor Party said: “You will be judged for what you did not do in the first 48 hours after the earthquake. You will all be held accountable. And you should know your limits. You have no honor, no dignity. If you had you wouldn’t talk. You have no humanity. You have guts. You killed the people. You have no humanity. You killed them, you are murderers!’

Bulent Turan of Erdogan’s AKP responded: “We are not apologizing to you. This is a result of the relationship we have with our people. It is our confidence. Our president could not say it. But he said it honestly.”

Erdogan: Apology is not weakness

An apology is not a sign of weakness, the Turkish president said. Recep Tayyip Erdoganwhile the opposition accuses him of “gratuities” to the children of the earthquake victims.

“There can be no such audacity, such rudeness,” Aksener said.

Erdogan said: “We did not do the work to the extent we wanted. For that I apologize. Saying our weaknesses and asking for forgiveness is not a sign of weakness. It is the result of the heartfelt relationship we have with our people.”

The president of the Good Party, Meral Aksener, commented: “A leader’s apology is done with resignation, with accountability with the dismissal of those responsible. You can’t apologize handing out tips in the squares».

FOX HABER’s report commented that Meral Aksener brought up Erdogan’s move to distribute money to children in the earthquake affected areas.

“There is no, there cannot be such shamelessness, such audacity, such rudeness” commented Aksener.

Ankara’s anger against the US

Turkey’s foreign ministry accuses the US of supporting a terrorist organization.

State Department spokesman Tanzu Bilgic said: “The US State Department’s 2021 Country Report on Terrorism deliberately distorts our country’s fight against terrorist organizations that pose a direct threat to its security.

The report’s reference to the so-called SDF, an extension of the PKK terrorist organization, as a US partner in the fight against DAESH, reveals that the US authorities have not yet realized the wrongdoing of using another terrorist organization to fight a terrorist organization.”

It is also curious that the report includes claims that our counter-terrorism operations against Syria and Iraq have caused civilian casualties, citing biased media reporting.

We call on the United States to show solidarity with our country in accordance with the spirit of the alliance and adopt a principled approach, consistent, decisive and effective stance in the fight against terrorism.