Moderator: No bad intentions toward PM
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Milliyet
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 07, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - After coming under fire for his role in Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's storming out of Davos last week, the debate's moderator and columnist for the Washington Post, David Ignatius, has reiterated he never intended any disrespect to the Turkish prime minister.
Ignatius was harshly criticized by Erdoğan. "A moderator cannot put his hand on the shoulder of a prime minister at an international meeting. This is shameful," Erdoğan said.
No bad intentions
The columnist contacted by Milliyet said that he had frequently written positive columns on the prime minister and his administration regarding their efforts of mediation between Syria and Israel. Ignatius also said he was looking forward to meeting with Turkish government officials again.
"If I was not being diplomatic there, then that (being diplomatic) was not what I was supposed to do. I have defended the honor of Turkey. We cannot let anyone humiliate Turkey," Prime Minister Erdoğan said three days ago. Ignatius spoke to daily Milliyet about those remarks; "Let me repeat it one more time. I did not mean to be disrespectful to Prime Minister Erdoğan." he said, mentioning again his positive columns on Erdoğan’s policies towards Israel and Syria. "The things I wrote on Turkish diplomacy are a part of my effort to reflect on all sides of a matter fairly as a journalist of 30 years," he said. Ignitus then mentioned how he had lived in a village in the West Bank to write about the feelings of Palestinians during the Israel invasion, "I have interviewed Hizbullah leader, Hasan Nasrallah, twice, Syria leader, Beşar Esad, twice and Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad twice. I also did interviews with many Israeli leaders. I will continue to do my best to reflect the sad situation in the Middle East in a fair and honest way."
Igantius visited Turkey last December and met with Ahmet Davutoğlu, the prime minister’s head counselor for foreign politics.
No bad intentions
The columnist contacted by Milliyet said that he had frequently written positive columns on the prime minister and his administration regarding their efforts of mediation between Syria and Israel. Ignatius also said he was looking forward to meeting with Turkish government officials again.
"If I was not being diplomatic there, then that (being diplomatic) was not what I was supposed to do. I have defended the honor of Turkey. We cannot let anyone humiliate Turkey," Prime Minister Erdoğan said three days ago. Ignatius spoke to daily Milliyet about those remarks; "Let me repeat it one more time. I did not mean to be disrespectful to Prime Minister Erdoğan." he said, mentioning again his positive columns on Erdoğan’s policies towards Israel and Syria. "The things I wrote on Turkish diplomacy are a part of my effort to reflect on all sides of a matter fairly as a journalist of 30 years," he said. Ignitus then mentioned how he had lived in a village in the West Bank to write about the feelings of Palestinians during the Israel invasion, "I have interviewed Hizbullah leader, Hasan Nasrallah, twice, Syria leader, Beşar Esad, twice and Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad twice. I also did interviews with many Israeli leaders. I will continue to do my best to reflect the sad situation in the Middle East in a fair and honest way."
Igantius visited Turkey last December and met with Ahmet Davutoğlu, the prime minister’s head counselor for foreign politics.