Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Turkey may extend the state of emergency for the 10th time for the peace of the country when necessary.
"We will continue extending it for the peace of our country, for the eighth time, for the ninth time or for the 10th time, if necessary," Xinhua quoted the President as saying.
The Turkish Parliament on Wednesday extended the state of emergency, imposed in the wake of a failed coup in 2016, for another three months for the seventh time.
Erdogan assured the business people that the emergency rule has only been used in the country's fight against terrorism, saying it should be welcomed as it guards the interests of the business world by preventing labour strikes.
"When our business people say the state of emergency should be lifted, it upsets us," the President added.
The Turkish Industry and Business Association, the country's main business institution, urged the government this week to lift the emergency rule and criticized Erdogan for setting snap elections for June.
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--IANS
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