Turkish authorities on Friday criticized this week’s cover of ‘The Economist’ magazine, which warns that Turkey could become a dictatorship in the event of a new victory of the incumbent in the upcoming presidential elections.
Presidency spokesman Fahrettin Altun has branded the British magazine’s publication as «cheap propaganda» and pointed out that «recycling this idea shows that the team is intellectually bored and ignorant of Turkish reality.» «It seems that they feel compelled to announce the end of Turkish democracy through clichés, misinformation and propaganda,» he has said in a message spread through his Twitter account.
«These are outrageous and provocative headlines that perhaps help the magazine, so kudos to them for the clever marketing idea, but we must remind readers that this is sensationalist journalism based on cheap propaganda,» he has insisted.
Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for the president, has also criticized the magazine and attributed the cover to «the desire to reform Turkey to fit into the established global order.» «We, of course, are offended by this,» he said before pointing out that «as the elections draw nearer, new accusations of a dictatorship in Turkey appear.»
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
