Bagis responds Jagland's statement

Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland has called on Turkey to ensure freedom of assembly that is exercised without constraints and warned against disproportionate use of force. "I continue to follow the developments in Turkey very closely. I call on all parties to continue the dialogue. Any further escalation of violence must be prevented." In response to Jagland's statement, Turkey's Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis suggested that Jagland should first examine how the same freedom was exercised in Europe. Stating that everywhere in the world, during such societal events, police forces might occasionally overstep the limits of their mandate while fulfilling their duties, Bagis said that Turkey has launched investigation on such cases and that three officers have been dismissed. Reiterating that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sat with protester representatives from diverse backgrounds in a meeting and also met with thinkers, artists and those who have different ideas about the events, Bagis said, "Then he announced a decision. Yes, we will wait for the court's decision on the development plan. And even if the court gives the go-ahead, a plebiscite will be held in Istanbul and the plan will be implemented or canceled according to the citizens' views," adding, "Unfortunately, European politicians do not want to hear what we have to say, as they are influenced by the Western media which covers the events in a very biased fashion. But we will keep trying to explain."