14 Questions for the President, 1 Sentence Answer from His Deputy

Click to read the article in Turkish

Sharply criticized for the unanswered 440 questions directed at President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the first two months of the inaguration of "Presidential Government", deputy president Fuat Oktay has finally answered 14 written questions by Meral Danış Beştaş, opposition Peoples' Democracy Party (HDP) MP, but in one sentence only.

Beştaş, had on Sep. 17, forwarded a set of 14 questions for the purchase for President Erdoğan from the Qatari Emirate of a luxury Boeing 747-8 reportedly containing 7 bedrooms, 2 special halls, several meeting halls and a small clinic.

The HDP deputy referring to the media reports pointed that albeit Boeing 747-8 was not then included in the Turkish Airlines inventory, the national airways company had since Sep. 9 been looking for pilots especially trained for that Boeing series.

"The French media reported in late August that the aircraft was sold to 'a president' and a Turkish internet news website reported on Sep. 9 that the Boeing 747-8 aircraft was purchased to be included in the State Fleet of the Republic of Turkey," Bestas explained. She also referred to the media reports that the cost of the unfurnished aircraft was USD 400 Mn and the furnished model was of GBP 500 Mn.

President Tayyip Erdoğan, had responded the criticisms of wastefulness claiming that the Boeing 747-8 was "a present from the Qatari Emirate."

The questions

Beştaş alongside questions "for whom and when" the aircraft was purchesed, "why" it was purchased and preferred, "how many" aircrafts are included in the "state fleet", "what" is the cost of the aircraft, further asked:

• "If the aircraft is indeed a present as upheld, then why should the Qatari Emirate gift an aircraft of TL 4. 240 Bn value?  What has been gifted in turn?
  
  
• "If it is true that Qatar has pledged to invest USD 15 Bn in Turkey what may be the connection with that pledge and the purchase of the aircraft?
  
  
• "As Turkey remains in the grip of an economic crisis and the public is called to economize why the Presidency's expenditures are exempt from these measures?"

...and the answer

Fuat Oktay, Deputy President yesterday answered MP Beştaş's questions in one sentence: "The aformentioned aircraft has been donated to our country and belongs to the state." That's it! (HA/EK)