Bozkır Criticizes Denmark For Complaint To EU On Suspect Release

Turkish European Union Affairs Minister Volkan Bozkır has lashed out at Denmark for reporting Turkey's release of a Danish suspect to the EU, claiming that the country keeps the issue on its agenda to “please the public.”

“The suspect has been released with a court decision and [he] has disappeared. It is not fair to blame Turkey,” Bozkır said during an official visit to Sweden on Friday.

The release of the Danish suspect spurred a crisis between Turkey and Denmark when it was claimed in the media that he was among a number of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants swapped by Turkey in return for ISIL releasing hostages in August.

Speaking at a weekly press briefing on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgiç stressed that Turkey had only abided by the court ruling that freed the suspect. “We understand that the suspect has not left Turkey,” Bilgiç said, adding that Turkey will continue to cooperate with Danish officials on the subject.

After failing to obtain a satisfactory response from Turkey concerning the release from custody of a suspect in an assassination attempt against Lars Hedegaard, an outspoken Danish critic of Islam, Denmark reported the issue to a senior figure within the EU.

Denmark's Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard said in a written statement on Wednesday that he had informed Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, about the matter when the two officials met in Copenhagen on Monday. “The [Danish] government approaches this issue with great seriousness and we continue to pressure Turkey to obtain clear answers,” he said.

“We are dealing with the issue with a new understanding both in Ankara and in Copenhagen,” Lidegaard said, adding that Turkey's ambassador to Denmark, Mehmet Dönmez, has been summoned to the Danish Foreign Ministry.

Last week, the Danish Foreign Ministry sent a note to the Turkish Foreign Ministry asking a series of questions concerning the release of the suspect. According to the Danish Berlingske daily, Denmark did not receive a satisfactory response from Turkey concerning why and where the suspect was released, as well as his whereabouts after Danish officials visited Ankara in October.

Denmark sent a delegation of government officials to Turkey on Oct. 17 to meet with representatives from the National Intelligence Organization (MİT), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice regarding the status of the suspect, but the Danish government is unhappy with the lack of information regarding the release.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)