President Abdullah Gül uses Twitter to explain painful situation
Abdullah Gül
Turkish President Abdullah Gül has used Twitter to offer his condolences to a Turkish national whose mother died after traffic was held up allegedly to allow the passage of the presidential convoy.
Gül said that he was deeply sorrow for what happened, but added that the road was not closed because of him, Turkish daily Hürriyet reported.
The president’s reaction was prompted by the publication of a letter in Vatan newspaper by Ahmet Ertaç in which he explained that his mother died at 7 pm in a taxi on Friday after road closures for the sake of Gül’s convoy prevented him from getting her to hospital in time.
However, Gül, in his response, said that even though the roads may have been allegedly closed due to his presence, the death claim was not true.
“After performing my Friday prayers in Dolmabahçe Mosque around 2.30 pm, I returned to Tarabya via the coast road. According to the citizen’s claim, the incident happened between Istanbul’s Levent and Zincirlikuyu districts between around 6 and 7 pm. I was in my office then,” Gül said.
Gül said that he was following the issue and insisted in special orders that traffic should not be blocked for the sake of his convoy, regardless of the city he is in.
“My order is that traffic flow should continue without closing the roads, but with a minimum of security precautions,” Gül said.
