Turkish ex-president Gul says not going to run in June electionMarch 10, 2015 - 10:37 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Former President Abdullah Gül will not run in June general election despite invitation by his former Justice and Development Party (AKP) colleagues, Hurriyet Daily News reported. Gül didn’t give a reason for his decision but said: “I will not be a candidate”, according to people close to him. The former president is about to move into his own house in Istanbul from the Huber Köşk, a presidential facility where he had been living since he left the office. “I will move in a few days,” he reportedly said. Gül plans to keep working as a statesman involved in foreign and domestic meetings, the sources said, according to the HDN. Turkish President Recep Tayiip Erdoğan said last week that it would be “felicitous and propitious” if Gül declared his candidacy to run in the upcoming election scheduled for June 7, as sources said the two founders of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) would soon meet to discuss the issue. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu stressed the reputability of Gül among the founders of the party, as well as “fidelity,” noting that he first became acquainted with the former president in the early 1980s. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Russia warns Armenia against “falling into West’s trap” Zakharova maintained, however, that anything that will benefit the people of Armenia can only be welcomed. CSTO: Armenia has not participated in secretariat’s work recently Recently Armenia has not participated in the work of the secretariat of the CSTO, Imangali Tasmagambetov said. Meeting with U.S., EU not against third parties, says Armenia The meeting scheduled for April 5 is dedicated to strengthening of the Armenia-EU-US cooperation, Yerevan added. Ucom launches network modernization efforts in few regions of Armenia In particular, on March 28, the legacy Mobile Switching Subsystem will be replaced with a new one. |