Davutoglu intervenes in AK Party spat

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has promised an AK Party disciplinary investigation into a war of words between Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc and Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek.

"Any statement or argument that could tarnish party discipline and its reputation will be subject to necessary processes," he told reporters on Tuesday in Turkey's central Konya province.

On Monday, Gokcek called upon Arinc to resign in a post on his Twitter account. He wrote: "Arinc could no more serve as the government spokesman or represent the party."

This came after a rumored "dispute" with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over a government plan to create a team to monitor the peace process with the PKK.

In response, Arinc called the mayor's remarks an impudent insult personally directed at him in retaliation for objecting to Gokcek's candidacy during Turkey's March 2014 local elections.

Davutoglu today expressed his unhappiness at the statements by two high-profile members of his ruling Justice and Development Party, saying they were both wrong in terms of the party's rules and inner discipline.

The prime minister promised to utilize disciplinary procedures to investigate those who "in this critical period where we are heading into elections, … make remarks or get into an argument so as to discredit our party in the eyes of the public…”

Davutoglu further stated that he had met Arinc and would also meet Gokcek to deliver the necessary warning.