UPDATE - Turkey commemorates late statesman Necmettin Erbakan

UPDATES WITH TURKISH PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun

ANKARA (AA) - Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Tuesday commemorated the seventh anniversary of the passing of senior statesman Necmettin Erbakan.

Addressing his party's parliamentary group in capital Ankara, Yildirim hailed Erbakan as “a dignified politician,” one who never used “the language of hate” but instead favored “the language of affinities”.

"He brought soft words and a smiling face to politics," he said.

The premier recalled how at rallies Erbakan used to urge people to take a vow before the grace of Allah to stand against people who went against the Turkish law or fellowship.

Later on Tuesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also issued a message to mark Erbakan's anniversary of passing.

One of the most important feature of him was the trust he placed in the Turkish nation and his belief in a bright future of Turkey, Erdogan said on his official Twitter account, which included a picture of him with Erbakan.

Former Prime Minister Erbakan passed away on Feb. 27, 2011.

Erbakan lost his post after less than a year in office due to the 1997 "post-modern” coup, when the Turkish military effectively deposed him as prime minister, leading to the collapse of his coalition government.

His government was forced to step down amid concerns expressed by generals about the government’s program, after a process began on Feb. 28, 1997, the date of a meeting of the National Security Council.

His Welfare Party was later outlawed.

Erbakan was forced to sign into law the army’s decisions on issues such as a ban on headscarves in the public sector and the shutting down of Quranic schools.

A new civilian government then took over from Erbakan, in a move that became known as Turkey’s post-modern coup.

- 'National vision'

Erbakan's "National Vision Movement" ideology had brought new excitement to Turkish politics in the 1990s, as he was widely considered as the "hodja" -- Muslim scholar -- laying down the roots of Turkey’s current ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party.

Anchoring his political viewpoint in ethics and spirituality, Erbakan led the way for many statesman and civil servants that followed, including Erdogan.

His success in economic policies led the way for Turkish economic success, as he supported the production of national goods and the country’s industrialization.

Erbakan also envisioned an organization of mainly Muslim-populated countries to unite and build a joint market, along with trading and foreign policy views, which came to life with the establishment of D-8 in 1997, with the participation of Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt and Nigeria at the invitation of Turkey.

The D-8 was officially established at an Istanbul summit in June 1997, in another element of Erbakan's enduring legacy.