Tension rises in parliament after Turkish minister asks MPs not to laugh
Tensions rose in parliament after Interior Minister Soylu asked opposition deputies not to laugh when he was talking about Turkey's fight against the PKK.
Duvar English
Tensions rose during a meeting in parliament after Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu asked opposition deputies not to laugh during his speech.
Soylu was talking about Turkey's fight against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) during budget talks in parliament when he suddenly stopped to tell main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Engin Özkoç not to laugh.
"I'm not laughing. Don't laugh while looking at me. I'm talking about the fight against terror," Soylu said.
Özkoç, in return, blasted Soylu.
"Mind your manners! Know your place!" Özkoç said, as other opposition deputies also slammed Soylu's wording.
The minister then accused Özkoç of supporting the PKK.
"You don't like our fight against terror. You don't like the fact that the PKK was weakened," Soylu said, prompting CHP deputies to slam Soylu.
The minister also claimed that CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu asked the PKK for its votes, which further increased the tensions.
Soylu then left the meeting, which resumed after a ten-minute break.
The minister was also infuriated by opposition deputies' insistence on bringing mafia leader Sedat Peker's allegations against him to the meeting's agenda.
Peker, who is currently in the United Arab Emirates, has been accusing Soylu of committing various crimes, including allowing drug trade, tipping off criminals to flee Turkey to avoid prosecution and corruption.