While speaking at a press conference in Ankara on Saturday, Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said he had expressed concerns to his Turkish counterpart over media freedoms, freedom of expression and a wave of dismissals following a failed coup on July 15.
Rasmussen also underlined Turkey’s right to protect itself against the failed coup but directed attention to the proportionality of the measures taken in reaction to the putsch. The Danish prime minister added that such concerns over freedoms would not change the strong friendship between Denmark and Turkey.
Rasmussen and his counterpart, Binali Yıldırım, met at Çankaya Palace, which served as a presidential office and residence until President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan moved to an ostentatious, newly built palace.
Turkey has been conducting a massive purge since July 15 that has resulted in the dismissal of over 100,000 civil servants and the imprisonment of nearly 150 journalists.