Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday summoned Greece’s ambassador over a 'despicable headline' in a Greek newspaper about the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Anadolu Agency reported.
The controversial headline – telling “Mr. Erdogan” to “f**k off” in Turkish, with the insult translated into English with an asterisk below – appeared in Friday’s issue of the Dimokratia newspaper.
According to the news agency, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that insulting and cursing should not be seen in terms of freedom of the press.
The headline also prompted a reaction from the Greek Foreign Ministry. In an announcement, it said that the freedom of the press “does not negate the obligation to refrain from insulting the personality of any individual, particularly a foreign leader.”
“The use of offensive language is contrary to our country’s political culture and can only be condemned,” the ministry added.
