An opposition Turkish lawmaker died on Thursday two days after suffering a heart attack and collapsing in front of parliament.
Hasan Bitmez
An opposition Turkish lawmaker died on Thursday two days after suffering a heart attack and collapsing in front of parliament, as he finished a speech criticizing the government's policy toward Israel.
Hasan Bitmez, 54, a member of parliament from the opposition Felicity (Saadet) Party, died in Ankara City Hospital, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said told reporters.
Parliament's official broadcast showed Bitmez collapsing to the floor after having been standing at the podium before the general assembly on Tuesday.
He had been criticising President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party (AKP) over Turkey's ongoing trade with Israel despite the war in Gaza, and despite the government's sharp rhetorical criticism of Israel's military bombardment.
Kaja Kallas, who resigned as Estonia's prime minister on Monday to become the European Union's next foreign policy chief, is known for her tough stance on Russia, which may raise doubts as to whether she can represent views from across the bloc.
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad said on Monday he would only meet Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan if the two countries could focus on the core issues of Ankara's support for "terrorism" and the pullout of Turkish forces from Syrian territory.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Israel of having "no intention of peace" in Gaza during a press conference on Sunday with his Saudi counterpart, who was visiting Istanbul.
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