POLITICS > Turkish PM cancels Denmark press conference to avoid ‘crisis’

COPENHAGEN

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was welcomed by officials and businesspeople in Copenhagen. AA photo

The joint press conference of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Danish counterpart scheduled for today, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, has been canceled to avoid a possible crisis over the participation of ROJ TV, known as the mouthpiece of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), in the conference. Scheduled programs are also restricted to state-run news agency Anatolia and TV channel TRT.

In 2005, during a previous visit to Denmark, a press conference between Erdoğan and former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen was called off after Danish officials refused Erdoğan’s demand to have the ROJ TV correspondent removed from the hall.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.

March/20/2013

PRINTER FRIENDLY

Send to friend »

READER COMMENTS

Click for Hürriyet Daily News comment guidelines

JRC JRC

3/20/2013 8:34:57 PM

Denmark is a country known for its democratic credentials and principles of freedom. The fact that Erdogan, and apparently many other Turks, don't like this, says a great deal.

mistique holland

3/20/2013 5:50:28 PM

@Hakan Osman, he is negotiating with them, to let the Turkish and Kurdish people in Turkey live together in peace with no more bloodshedding....That is a good reason as far as I am concerned.

Cem Arda

3/20/2013 5:11:10 PM

Granted under very "basic freedoms", we can expect any kind of terrorist organization there in that small country called denmark as long as the terrorists are other's.

mara mcglothin

3/20/2013 4:25:05 PM

Perhaps they could add a representative from Hamas tv to the mix for good measure. If ROJ TV is actually an arm of a terrorist organization then why aren't they shut down?

Hakan Osman

3/20/2013 4:09:17 PM

If PKK is truly a terrorist organization, then why is Erdogan negotiating with them?

john albay

3/20/2013 2:01:15 PM

The PM is right the pkk are terrorists and the danish goverment should close down the pkk TV station-

Reality Plus

3/20/2013 1:16:30 PM

So, when can we expect an Al-Qaida TV in Denmark?

< >