Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide (H) addressed the cases of two Norwegian citizens when she was visited by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu.
“We have raised our concern for two Norwegian citizens who are facing prosecution in Turkey because they have participated in demonstrations or other activities in Norway that are completely legal here,” Eriksen Søreide said when she met the press with Cavusoglu on Friday afternoon.
The two Norwegian citizens were arrested in Turkey earlier this summer, suspected of supporting the banned Kurdish organization PKK.
According to Eriksen Søreide, it is a fact that activities that are legal in Norway may be prohibited in Turkey.
“My point is that Norwegian citizens involved in activities that are legal in Norway should not have legal problems in Turkey,” she told NTB.
Cavusoglu, in turn, pointed out that the PKK is listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey.
You may have more liberal legislation than other European countries and Turkey, but in my country and in many other European countries it is also illegal to give active support to terrorist organizations. This has nothing to do with freedom of expression, he said.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
