(Adds details)
Öykü Altuntaş / Ankara, Oct 14 () - Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdoğan defended Turkey was a country where “freedoms exist without limits”, slamming a Finnish reporter’s question on the “dictatorship” criticism against him, and stated “We govern a state and we are human. We can all make mistakes” regarding the deadly attack in Ankara leading to “security flaw” debates against the Turkish government.

Having spoken at a joint press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto late on Oct. 13., Erdoğan said the brutal twin blast in Ankara, which has left at least 97 people killed, was against the whole country and nation, having reminded he has ordered Turkey’s top official audit body to investigate the Oct. 10 twin suicide attacks.

"We can all make mistakes"

“They say the attack was linked to the shadow state. What are they referring to? We govern a state and we are human. We can all make mistakes” said Erdoğan.

At the press conference, Erdoğan also rebuffed a Finnish reporter reminding him critics that Erdoğan was a “dictator” and some of the citizens were saying they had fear of the President. “At the same time, what is more desperate is that some people have been claiming that the state is involved in the terror attack in Ankara. What do you think about these claims?” the reporter added.

"You cannot ask such a question in a dictator-ruled country"

Erdoğan fiercely responded the reporter, “You would not be able to ask such a question, frankly, in a country where a dictator rules. Also, you would not see people insulting a country’s prime minister, president or his family, limitlessly, in a country where there is a dictatorship. Printed and visual media, along with social media, have been making insults without restraints against me, my wife and children. We have always been patient against these”.

President Erdoğan defended, “Turkey is the country where freedoms exist without limits, within a democratic parliamentary system” in response to the reporter’s question, claiming Turkey would compete with many EU countries in this regard.

“I have been elected president by 52 percent of my people, a year ago. Who are those people declaring that a person who was elected president by 52 percent of his people’s vote as dictator?” he asked.

“My dear friend was deployed for mission, I believe”

This was not the first challenging question to President Erdoğan addressed by the Finnish journalist Jyrki Katainen. In November 2013, Katainen has asked Erdoğan “Why do you find necessary to intervene to where female and male students live and make them reside in separate houses?”, referring to concerns that Turkish government has been intervening private lives. Erdoğan addressed journalist, “I believe my dear friend was deployed by some people for a mission. I have been prime minister for 11 years. If we had intervened private lives, we would not won one vote of 2 people. There is a legitimate, and an illicit type of living. At this point, there are, of course, certain duties we share.”