Erdogan accuses BBC, CNN and NYT of trying to weaken, divide Turkey

Erdogan accuses BBC, CNN and NYT of trying to weaken, divide Turkey –

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has accused prominent international media institutions like the New York Times, CNN and the BBC of trying to weaken the country and then disintegrate it in line with instructions issued to them by what he called “the superior mind”, Hurriyet daily reports. 

“Think about this; this newspaper [the NYT] did the same thing against [Ottoman] Sultan Abdülhamit in 1896. It fulfills a duty imposed by a certain power. It serves this power in line with the assignment. This is what it’s doing now. It fulfilled its duty during the Gezi incidents [in 2013] as well, as you know. Just like the BBC and CNN,” Erdoğan told private broadcaster Show TV late June 2. 

Erdoğan’s reaction against the New York Times came after an editorial in the newspaper strongly criticized his recent activities as restricting the freedom of media in Turkey and warned NATO and the United States to urge Erdoğan “to turn away from the destructive path.”   

Erdoğan harshly reacted against the newspaper and accused the NYT of conspiring against former Turkish leaders like Adnan Menderes and Turgut Özal in the past. 

“Do you know what their aim is? To weaken Turkey, to divide it and to disintegrate it and then to swallow it. But they failed to do so. We will not allow this,” Erdoğan said, criticizing all these international media outlets for serving the interests of the “superior mind.”