The Turkish prime minister said on Thursday that neither European Parliament’s latest report on Turkey’s progress in EU process, nor the people that had prepared such document reflected a balanced approach.
Replying to questions of reporters during a joint press conference with Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic in Ankara, Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan described EP’s report as an ordered document prepared by circles who did not know Turkey at all.
"There is no balance in this report. Excuse me, but I believe, people who have prepared this document lack balance as well. Because, the expressions used in the report do not describe the freedom of press in Turkey," the prime minister said.
Erdogan noted that there were 27 imprisoned press members in Turkey at the moment and none of them had been detained due to the articles or news stories they had prepared.
Erdogan said such journalists had been arrested on charges such as connections with terrorist organizations and attempts to overthrow the government.
"Therefore, EP’s report is far from reflecting the reality in our country. I frankly cannot find the words to describe this report and I am very sorry. It is impossible to describe such document fair and impartial," he said.
Upon a question on whether Turkey would take any actions regarding the report, Erdogan also said, "We do not need to take any steps. It is their duty to prepare such a report. On the other hand, we have the duty to proceed on our way. It is as simple as that".
European Parliament has adopted a resolution on the progress of Turkey with the support of a large majority of MEPs on Wednesday.
The resolution voiced concerns about the deterioration in freedom of the press in Turkey and indicated that arrest of Turkish journalists could lead to lack of confidence in judiciary, adding that such trials, on the contrary, should strengthen the democracy in the country.