OREANDA-NEWS. Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu filed for resignation after criticism over the introduction of a 48-hour curfew in the country.

A curfew has been announced since April 11 in 30 cities, including Ankara, Istanbul and Antalya, and throughout the province of Zonguldak as a measure to combat the spread of coronavirus infection. Residents were forbidden to leave their homes. According to BBC, the Turks had learned about curfew several hours before the measure took effect. Long queues formed in grocery stores. Soylu has been criticized for this raised the risk of spreading the infection.

“The full responsibility for imposing a curfew to prevent a pandemic is with me. This should not have led to what we witnessed,” Soylu wrote on his Twitter page. He apologized to the Turkish people and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

However, the head of state did not accept Soylu’s resignation. The Turkish leader said that the Interior Minister, who was appointed to this position shortly after the coup attempt in Turkey in 2016, successfully performed his duties and played an important role in the fight against terrorism.