APA’S STATEMENT ON TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER AHMET DAVUTOGLU’S INTERVIEW
APA
April 14 2010
Azerbaijan
Baku – APA. Azeri-Press Agency (APA) regrets over a problem created
around the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s interview to
APA correspondent in Washington.
APA notes that its correspondent in Washington Isabel Levine was
accredited at the Nuclear Security Summit in the United States for
coverage of the event and she received a mandate from the agency’s
central office to interview with the Turkish and Armenian officials.
Levine has interviewed with the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu, but about 10 hours later after the interview was published,
spokesman for the Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Burak Ozugergin
made a statement that the Foreign Minister didn’t give such an
interview.
The agency investigated the issue and clarified that Ozugergin’s
statement was not based on truth and the interview was given just
by Davutoglu.
Correspondent Levine sent a letter to the central office explaining the
situation. "I was surprised when I heard about the Turkish officials’
denial of Davutoglu’s interview. I visited the hotel where Davutoglu
stayed and tried to accord the interview with his press secretary, but
he refused to help me. I waited for Davutoglu until that he came to
the dining room and approached him when he appeared. I asked several
questions. The minister said that he had no much time and would give
short answers. I asked three questions and received the answers, which
were published by the agency. I don’t know what I have really to do
because I have not faced with such situation before. I couldn’t tell
the story and it was impossible for me, as a person unaware of the
problem, to know what the meeting resulted in. My colleagues covering
the meetings of Turkish delegation told me today that the Turkish
officials ceased their contacts with journalists temporarily because
they reached unofficial agreement with the Armenian delegation not
to make statements about the details of the negotiations and meetings".
APA doesn’t consider it accidentally that the Turkish officials denied
the interview just after the Davutoglu’s meeting with his Armenian
counterpart and it is not confident that it is in accordance with
the diplomatic maneuvers.
The agency strongly condemns it as an action against its image of
reliable source. APA regrets for such situation it never faced in
its relations with international and local partners, interviewers.
The agency strongly rejected the idea that it was the correspondent’s
story and insists that the interview was given by Davutoglu.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
