ANKARA
Ambassadors of EU countries in Ankara attended Tuesday an invitation of Turkey's EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis where they made a common statement over the meeting of EU representatives with the Turkish government.
The EU Heads of Mission took part in a briefing session on recent protests in Turkey at the invitation of the EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis, said on the website of Delegation of EU to Turkey.
It was noted that the briefing session was chaired by Bagis and the meeting was provided by Turkish Prime Ministry and Ministry of Interior.
"This was the first occasion for the EU missions, collectively, to exchange views with the Government. We expressed our concern over recent developments, in particular police handling of peaceful protestors and as regards respect for freedom of the media. We also emphasised the need for transparency and accountability in the follow-up by the government and judiciary, both with regard to the protesters as well as to allegations of use of excessive force by the security forces. We underlined the need to respect fundamental freedoms including freedom of assembly and of expression," said the statement of EU Heads of Mission.
