The key appointments included Abdülkadir Aksu being elected to head the party's political and legal affairs and Çelik replacing Deputy Chairwoman Sözen as the new person to lead the party's media affairs. Kapusuz was appointed as deputy chairman in charge of public relations, while Tüzmen was appointed deputy chairman in charge of foreign relations.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan yesterday talked to the press after his party's MYK meeting. He reiterated that the AK Party has been in power for seven years. He said Turkey has grown, both economically and in reputation during this process. “In the period ahead, we will continue to strengthen our country and nation. We will work with all our heart to set even higher standards and reach these.”
Democratic initiative
Erdoğan also stated his opinion that the AK Party's democratic initiative could have been announced earlier. “I have had to face many difficulties during our stay in power. There are always problems in every society. But our duty is to minimize these.”
He said the democratic initiative, announced by the government this summer as part of efforts to end separatist terrorism by extending the rights and freedoms of Kurds, was a project of the state and not only of his government.
“We have been saying this all along. Turkey cannot live with these problems until the end of time. This is not yesterday's problem; this has been a problem for decades. These have never been addressed. Does this mean we have to live with them? Can you keep your seats if you ignore the problems of a particular group? We know it is not an easy process, but we will pass through this with patience and calmness.”
