A photograph of the U.S. President Barack Obama holding a baseball bat while talking on the phone to Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was intended to show their close relationship, a White House spokeswoman said, after the photo caused a stir in Turkey, reported Reutors.
CHP vice president Umut Oran asked through parliament if Erdogan had seen the picture and if he would take action against “an implicit insult to Turkey and its citizens”.
Some newspapers took a more lighthearted view, with columnist Ahmet Hakan of Hurriyet writing: “We need to do something – retaliation seems to be the most reasonable method.” “Our prime minister needs to hold something in his hand as he’s calling Obama,” he added, suggesting as possible candidates a slipper, a belt or a rolling pin.
“The photo reveals from who our Prime Minister receives orders to rule the country,” Metin Lutfi Baydar, a lawmaker with Turkey’s main opposition party the Republican People’s Party (CHP), said in a statement.