President Obama said Friday he spoke to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan about his staff’s aggressiveness toward reporters as Erdogan spoke at the Brookings Institution on Thursday.
After stressing Turkey’s importance as an U.S. ally and the “productive partnership” he has enjoyed with Erdogan, Obama said he advised Turkey’s leader against suppressing the press when they met one-on-one Thursday during the Nuclear Security Summit that Obama convened in Washington.
“I told him directly [there are] some trends within Turkey that I’ve been troubled with,” Obama said during a closing press conference Friday evening. “I’m a strong believer in freedom of press; I’m a strong believer in freedom of religion; I’m a strong believer in the rule of law.”
Obama reminded Erdogan that he “came into office with a promise of democracy” and openness. His record lately with press freedom “could lead Turkey down a path that would be very troubling.”
