At a time when government officials are talking about extending the duration of a three-month-long emergency rule declared in the aftermath of a failed coup in July, former Turkish President Abdullah Gül has said emergency rule must end in the shortest time possible.
Gül was speaking to reporters at the Turkish Embassy in Paris after delivering a speech at the Center of Political and Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.
The former president said he came from a country where emergency rule is in force to another country also under emergency rule, referring to Turkey and France.
French President François Hollande declared a state of emergency hours after the deadly Paris attacks of Nov. 13, 2015, and it has now been renewed four times.
“It is hoped that these [emergency rules] will end in the shortest time possible. It is necessary to make efforts to achieve this,” Gül told the reporters.
Amid widespread criticism of rights violations during Turkey’s emergency rule, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said earlier this week that Turkey might extend the duration of emergency rule for another three months. Government officials including Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım also made statements about the possible extension of emergency rule.