Erdogan: nothing can prevent parliament from functioningJune 30, 2011 - 16:21 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday, June 30, challenged Turkey's main opposition party and the pro-Kurdish bloc, which have so far refused to take their parliamentary oaths in protest of the imprisonment of some of their deputies, saying it's their choice to boycott Parliament and that this poses no obstacle to parliament's functioning, Today’s Zaman reported. “There is no situation that would prevent the functioning of parliament, no matter whether the opposition comes or not. ... Parliament will begin working and the first step is the elections to be held for the parliament presidency on Tuesday,” the PM said as he addressed his party's first parliamentary group meeting at Justice and Development Party (AK Party) headquarters in Ankara. Turkish lawmakers on Tuesday took their oaths in a parliamentary session, but the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and independent deputies supported by the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) boycotted the ceremony. 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 | 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. |