Obama is troubled about press freedom in Turkey
(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) WASHINGTON April 2 (KUNA) -- US President Barack Obama said late Friday that he is "troubled about some trends within Turkey" in particular toward the press.
"I have said to President (Recep Tayyep) Erdogan to remind him that he came into office with a promise of democracy" Obama said in a press conference at the end of the Nuclear Security Summit noting that "that's the legacy that he (Erdogan) should pursue rather than a strategy that involves repression of information and shutting down Democratic debate." "There's no doubt that President Erdogan has repeatedly been elected through a Democratic process" he emphasized "but I think the approach that they've been taking toward the press is one that could lead turkey down a path that would be very troubling." In an incident widely covered by US media outlets Turkish President security guards scuffled with a couple of journalists during a scheduled event at Brookings institution in Washington Thursday those media outlets reported that the journalists involved were from Turkish opposition parties and news outlets. Despite that Obama lauded Turkish role as NATO ally and described it as an "extraordinarily important partner in our fight against (so-called Islamic State) (IS)." (end) yt.tg
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