ISTANBUL (Milliyet Daily News)-Turkey's foreign minister has said he regrets the defense the Turkish state gave at the European Court of Human Rights in a case concerning murdered journalist Hrant Dink.
Rejecting the defense that drew parallels between Hrant Dink's perspectives and Neo-Nazism that were prepared by his ministry, Ahmet Davutoglu indicated that Turkey could negotiate with Hrant Dink's family.
"I feel regret for sending a defense to the European court regarding the freedom of expression. A defense like this could not have come to mind. As an intellectual and a minister, I could not come to terms with this," said Davutoglu, noting that he felt depressed when he heard about the event on Sunday.
The foreign minister said he had not signed the document because he was abroad in August 2009, when the defense was first filed at the European court.
"Generally, I am the person who signs the negotiation and compensation decisions, which are the heaviest ones for me because you accept both the guilt and the deficiency of your country. Furthermore, money goes out of the government's pocket. We compensate what the judiciary lacks from the government's sources. You are also condemned in front of the whole world. After Russia, we're the country whose cases go to the European court the second-most frequently," said Davutoglu.
