Turkey’s president has heard the growing chorus of American criticism directed his way. But he’s still confident he’s doing everything right. In a highly defensive speech at Brookings Institution in Washington on Thursday, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan chided the West for separating “good terrorists” from “bad terrorists,” described his crackdown on journalists as a crackdown on terrorism, and said he had no problem with criticism, but would keep prosecuting anyone who “insulted” him. The speech began late after scores of anti-Erdoğan protesters gathered outside the think tank, some of whom clashed with the Turkish leader’s security guards, according to reporters at the scene. At least one journalist also was caught in the chaos, media reports indicated. The gathering also took place amid reports that a car bomb, possibly planted by Kurdish militants, had killed several police officers in Turkey. Erdoğan spent much of his speech slamming the Kurdistan Workers Party, known as the PKK, which the U.S. and Turkey have designated as a terrorist group. The Turkish military is engaged in a major fight with the separatist group, which it blames for a string of attacks. Some observers fear the violence could spiral into a civil war. The Turkish leader also blasted the U.S. and other countries for refusing to accept that the PKK had strong links to Kurds fighting the Islamic State terror network in Syria and Iraq. He alleged that there were people in Europe funneling money and weapons to the Syrian Kurdish groups, such as the PYD and the YPG. “For us, the YPG and PYD are equal to the PKK,” Erdoğan insisted in his speech, which was in Turkish and conveyed through a translator. The U.S. views the Kurds fighting in Syria as perhaps the most potent force against the Islamic State, and it has hesitated to drop its support for them despite Erdoğan’s appeals. Erdogan, who also condemns the Islamic State, has been more concerned about pushing Syrian dictator Bashar Assad out of power. Numerous people in Turkey have been charged with insulting the president over the past year, a development that has chilled the media in particular. This was one of the points brought up in an open letter to Erdoğan released Wednesday by nearly 50 U.S. foreign policy specialists, including former ambassadors to Turkey, who said they worry about where Erdoğan is taking the country. * [TURKISH PRESIDENT RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN VISITS CHILE] Also On Politico TURKEY’S PRESIDENT FACES A SCOLDING IN WASHINGTON Nahal Toosi * [Refugee men keep warm by a fire in Mytilene, Greece] Also On Politico 5 DEADLINES TO WATCH ON THE EU-TURKEY MIGRATION DEAL Jacopo Barigazzi The State Department has expressed “concern” about Erdoğan’s actions. President Barack Obama, too, is reported to be disappointed in Erdoğan and his autocratic tendencies. But the U.S. as a whole treats Turkey, a critical ally and fellow NATO member, very cautiously because it needs its support in the fight against the Islamic State. Erdoğan, who has been either prime minister or president of Turkey since 2003, said during a short question and answer session after his speech that some of his detractors go too far, accusing him of crimes and other actions he cannot simply ignore. “Criticism I have no problems with, but when it comes to insult and defamation, of course I have problems,” Erdoğan said. “I would thank each and every one of those who criticize me, but if they were to insult me, my lawyers will go and file for a lawsuit. Insult is something different than what criticism would stand for and would lead to. Insult is not humane. Criticism is very humane.” As far as his government’s clampdown on journalists, Erdoğan insisted that it’s all part of Turkey’s effort to stop terrorism. The “supposed journalists,” Erdoğan said, had ties to alleged terrorist groups, including the PKK. “Inside the Turkish prisons there are no Turkish journalists who have been incarcerated due to their professions or due to their freedom of expression,” he said. Erdoğan noted that he’d won the presidency in a recent election with more than half the vote, “and it’s not because of my sweet face.” Instead, he said, people supported his government’s economic and social policies, which had improved their living standards. The Turkish leader also scolded the U.S. and Europe for not doing more to help Syrian refugees, whereas Turkey has accepted millions of the desperate people fleeing the war-torn Arab state. Erdoğan also said he hoped that Israel and Turkey could eventually normalize relations that broke down several years ago, but he also called for a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and blasted Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.
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