Turkish Prime Minister Disagrees With EU on Media Freedom, Kurdish Issue

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) – Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu did not agree with the EU stance on the situation with the media and attitude toward the Kurds in his country, European Parliament (EP) President Martin Schulz said Monday.

On Friday, a Turkish court ordered the Feza Media Group, which includes opposition newspaper Zaman, Today’s Zaman daily and the Cihan news agency, to be placed under the management of government trustees. Following the incident, Schulz has called the seizure of the Zaman newspaper another attack on the freedom of press in Turkey.

"We discussed the internal situation in Turkey. From my side [I raised], the Kurdish question, the Zaman case during the weekend. I had a very open exchange with the prime minister, who disagreed with my point of view. I think this is not a surprise and I insisted that for the European Parliament and the European Union freedom of media is a key element of the European identity. The prime minister explained from his point of view the case, I took note about the explanation," Schulz told reporters.

Ahead of the meeting of the EU heads of state or government with Turkey, the EP president and Davutoglu talked over the refugee crisis, Ankara-Brussels relations, including the implementation of an action plan to combat migration, a readmission agreement, the issue of visa liberalization, control over the border, NATO's actions in the Aegean Sea, relations between the EU and, in particular, Greece and Turkey for better border control.

Ankara has also been conducting a special operation to suppress the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the country, which has been fighting for independence of Kurdish territories from Ankara since 1984. The group, which is considered by Ankara to be a terrorist organization, seeks to create a Kurdish state in parts of Turkey and Iraq.