Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gül said Monday that both he and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan support amending Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, describing strong consensus within the government on the need for change. Speaking at a joint press conference in Ankara with visiting Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, Gül said the issue belongs to Türkiye and that foreign pressure from the United States or Europe would only complicate efforts.
Gül pushed back against perceptions abroad that Türkiye jails journalists or suppresses free expression, calling such claims inaccurate. He acknowledged, however, that some prosecutors have opened cases the government considers mistakes, creating damaging impressions internationally.
On the sidelines, Gül and Downer signed a memorandum of cooperation on combating international terrorism. Gül highlighted historic and human ties between Türkiye and Australia, citing the Gallipoli campaign, annual Australian commemorations there, and a Turkish diaspora of roughly 150,000 in Australia. He also noted Australian troop deployments in Iraq and Türkiye's role in evacuating Australian nationals during the Lebanon conflict.
Downer expressed Australia's support for Türkiye's full European Union membership, saying it would benefit both Europe and the broader international community. He also stressed the value of intelligence sharing in the global fight against terrorism.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in February 2007, in its own words.