Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asserts on Wednesday that many in the US and Europe are branding US President-elect Donald Trump a “dictator” because he wasn’t their favored candidate. Erdogan calls on them to respect democracy.
Addressing a meeting of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, Erdogan also accuses Western nations of calling any leader that does not serve their interests a despot.
Erdogan has faced withering criticism in the West for shuttering media outlets and conducting a massive nationwide purge of opponents and dissenters, including in such wide-ranging institutions and industries as the media, health services and academia, following an abortive military coup in July.
“The West will continue to welcome tyrants who have blood on their hands with red carpets and label anyone who criticizes them as a dictator,” says Erdogan. “Are they calling someone a dictator? Then you should think the opposite. That person is good, because (he or she) goes against their interests.”
Erdogan adds that he is not concerned about Trump’s comments on Islam or Muslims. “We are used to such things in politics,” he says. “They speak that way today and then they’ll correct that wrong.”
— AP
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