AK Party founder: I don’t believe claims of parallel state

Yaşar Yakış, former foreign minister and a founding member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party)
Yaşar Yakış, former foreign minister and a founding member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party)


Date posted: October 15, 2014

SALİH KARACA / BRUSSELS

Yaşar Yakış, former foreign minister and a founding member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), criticized the party on Monday, saying he does not believe in the existence of a “parallel state,” a term used by the AK Party to describe followers of the faith-based Hizmet movement, which the government alleges to have formed an illegitimate structure within the state.

Speaking to the private Cihan news agency in Brussels, Yakış said the AK Party is very different from how it was at the time of its establishment. “I can no longer see the ideals that motivated us as we formed the party,” Yakış said.

Commenting on recent government restrictions on the activities of the Turkish charitable association Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There?), Yakış said, “It looks odd to me that we are prescribing the activities of civil society through laws.” The former minister added that he cannot see any illegality in Kimse Yok Mu’s works.

Commenting on Turkey’s sluggish accession negotiations with the European Union, Yakış said the current situation has not arisen suddenly and continued: “The developments in Turkey, and the EU taking time to consider them, have led to a slowing of the process. Other reasons later increased this delay.”

Touching on the fact that the Turkish public has lost interest in EU membership, Yakış stated that it would be wrong for Turkey to abandon its EU bid. According to Yakış, Turkey has achieved many reforms in its economy and other fields with the help of the EU negotiation process.

Source: BGN NEWS , October 13, 2014

Tags: | | | |


Related News

Why should education in Pakistan be held hostage to the politics of other countries, however brotherly?

If Pakistan does indeed give in to pressure from the Turkish government, the move will be ironic, given the number of madressahs currently operating in the country with established links to political, religious or denominational movements that have a more than suspected record of terrorism, violence and spurious religious indoctrination.

Gift From God: How Erdogan Turned July 15 Into Windfall

According to an official narrative of the government, MIT learned the coup plans earlier in the day and its chief several times discussed it with army chief Akar. One fundamental contradiction was the fact that despite this early warning and intelligence, commanders of navy, ground forces and air forces attended a wedding ceremony that night.

Another ‘coup suspect’ found dead in Turkish prison, bringing total to 21

At least 21 people have reportedly committed suicide either after they were imprisoned over ties to the movement or after being linked to the movement outside prison. The relatives of most of them claim that the detainees are not the kind of people to commit suicide, shedding doubt on the official narrative. Rumours also have it that some of the detainees were killed after being subjected to torture under custody.

Hate discourse directed against Hizmet movement

It is impossible not to see the polarization among the people over the upcoming presidential elections; this polarization raises serious concerns. It is also possible to consider the verbal attacks and violence against the Hizmet movement in the context of the literature on politicide and genocide. However, not only the Hizmet movement will suffer from repressive-hegemonic politicide. The entire country of Turkey will be hurt by this.

Factory settings of Turkey as a nation-state

ABDÜLHAMİT BİLİCİ 18 May 2012 If we were to give a title to an article discussing the problems most heatedly debated in Turkey, I think the best option would be “Woes of transitioning from an empire to a nation-state.” It has been no easy task to transform a multi-faith, multi-lingual and diversity-dominated empire into a […]

Erdogan’s Maarif Foundation To Contribute Radicalism, Exacerbate Muslim-Christian Tension In African Countries

Turkey’s President Erdoğan has aimed at replacing the positive contributions of the schools opened by the Gülen movement in Africa to preventing clashes in countries, where there is Christian-Muslim tension, with radical Islamist rhetoric and thus will create conflict rather than dialogue in African countries, stated a report recently released.

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

Turkish Authorities Deny Funeral Service for Drowned Gulen Supporters and babies

Autistic children left unattended as teacher parents under arrest over alleged coup links

Who staged a coup against whom on Dec. 17?

Kimse Yok Mu continues to help needy despite gov’t restrictions

Turkey to bid farewell to rule of law if president approves HSYK law

Turkish authorities purge regulators, state TV employees in backlash against graft probe

Turkey’s post-coup purges shake higher education

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News