Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused international and local media outlets of waging a “psychological war” against Turkey.
“Each day, some international newspapers come up and conduct a perception operation,” said Erdogan during a Nov. 3 speech at Istanbul’s Bezmialem University, reported Hurriyet Daily News.
“Turkey is not a country that will bow either to domestic treason networks or to perception operations abroad,” he added.
According to the article, Erdogan accused the media of perpetrating “lies” about a series of issues including Turkey’s record on freedom of the press, the country’s position on the war in Syria, and “its religious education policies.”
Turkey has refused to take part in the U.S.-led attacks against the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS and ISIL) in Iraq and Syria, something that has been widely reported by international news outlets.
The country’s support is critical to the coalition because Turkey shares an expansive border with Iraq and Syria.
Many globally known media outlets, some quoting foreign fighters, have reported that most of the foreigners fighting alongside the Islamic State and other jihadists in Iraq and Syria travel through Turkey.
“Whenever something happens to our citizens in your countries, your governments tell us that the judiciary is independent and they can’t do anything. Now I’m telling you the same: The judiciary is independent,” Erdogan said, speaking to the international media on the issue of incarcerated journalists in Turkey, Hurriyet Daily News reported.
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