Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar. PHOTO: REUTERS/ FILE
ISTANBUL: Turkey's army may come under the authority of the defence ministry. President Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying by private broadcaster CNN Turk on Wednesday.
Erdogan on Monday appointed former Chief of Staff Hulusi Akar as defence minister. He made the comment to reporters traveling his plane to a Nato summit in Brussels, CNN Turk said.
All change in Turkey
On June 25, Erdogan emerged victorious from his biggest electoral challenge in a decade and a half, giving him the sweeping, executive powers he has long sought and extending his grip on the nation of 81 million until at least 2023.
The most popular and divisive leader in modern Turkish history, Erdogan pledged there would be no retreat from his drive to transform Turkey, a deeply polarised nation that is both a Nato member and, at least nominally, a candidate to join the European Union.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ