Kilicdaroglu and Swoboda collide over Al-Assad in Brussels

President of the group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament Hannes Swoboda got angry when Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu compared Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "In terms of democracy, there is only difference of tone between Erdogan and al-Assad; both of them are tyrannies," said Kilicdaroglu in a joint press conference with Swoboda at the European Parliament. "This comparison is not correct," said Swoboda, and canceled his scheduled meeting with Kilicdaroglu. Swoboda said that Erdogan may be criticized, but that he could not be compared with al-Assad who fights against his own people. After these comments, Swoboda left the press conference.