  Turkish PM says he never depicted his deputy as Dink murder suspect May 21, 2011 - 14:38 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he never depicted his deputy, Cemil Çiçek, as a “suspect” in Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink’s murder during a conversation with Dink’s son in 2007. The claim was made Arat Dink in a column for the liberal daily Taraf. “We asked Prime Minister during his visit to our house to express his condolences whether we could mention about former Justice Minister C.Ç. [Cemil Çiçek] as a ‘murderer’” in pointing to Hrant Dink as a target, Arat Dink wrote in his piece. “The Prime Minister rightly guided us by saying, ‘Don’t call him a murderer, call him a suspect.’” Erdoğan denied the conversation with Arat Dink in a speech he made in Kars on the Armenian border, Hurriyet Daily News reported. “If this boy said so, then I deplore him. But I condemn this newspaper for this story,” he said during an election campaign. “I have never used such an expression for my Deputy Prime Minister.” A lawyer for the Dink family refused to make comments.   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 |  Latest news Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia  Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28.Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia.Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports.Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |
