The head of Turkey’s opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Deniz Baykal protested the statement by the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the expulsion of 100 thousand illegally working Armenians from the country .
“That terrible statement is doubly frightening when uttered by the Prime Minister. It is extremely undemocratic. One must not use people coming to Turkey for work as blackmail instruments,” Mr. Baykal said.
He also warned one of his party members, MP Canan Arytman, who also made a call to expel Armenians from Turkey. “We adhere to democratic values, and it is inappropriate to make such statements,” he said.
Mr. Baykal called for to held discussion on Turkish-Armenian relations at the parliament.
Ozturk Turkdogan, chairman of Association for Human Rights Protection in Turkey, stressed that Erdogan’s statement is blackmail and discrimination. He said the statement violates the human right to freedom of movement and work, and added that there are many Turkish workers across the globe, the Turkish media reports say.
