The Latest: In Paris, Erdogan calls Turkey a 'state of law'
The Latest on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to France (all times local):
5:40 p.m.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has defended his country as "before all else, a state of law" after protests over deteriorating press freedom and human rights in his country greeted him in Paris.
Erdogan arrived in Paris on Friday for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. The trip is his first to France since his government strongly cracked down on suspected opponents following a failed coup in July 2016.
Macron said at a joint news conference with Erdogan that he had asked the Turkish leader about specific cases from a list provided by watchdog group Reporters Without Borders.
Erdogan said the judicial system in Turkey is independent, but that he would give Turkey's justice minister names from the cases in question to seek information about their status.
He says Turkey is fighting numerous enemies inside the country, from the Islamic State group to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party.
Erdogan said "terrorism doesn't create itself alone" and "ideologues" must be fought.
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2:30 p.m.
Protests over press freedom and the deteriorating state of human rights in Turkey are greeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Paris as he arrives for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.
The trip that started Friday is Erdogan's first to France since his government strongly cracked down on suspected opponents following a failed coup in July 2016. About 50,000 people have been arrested and 110,000 others removed from public sector jobs in Turkey.
About 30 activists from watchdog group Reporters without Borders held images of jailed journalists outside the Turkish Embassy.
A dozen demonstrators, mainly ethnic Kurds, later tried to reach the presidential Elysee palace, but police pushed them back onto a side street.
The French Communist Party and several left-wing parties have criticized Erdogan's visit to France, which came the day before the fifth anniversary of the slayings in Paris of three Kurdish activists.
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10:20 a.m.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is traveling to Paris for talks with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, amid protests over press freedom and the deteriorating state of human rights in Turkey.
Erdogan is making his first trip to France since a failed coup in 2016 that was followed by strong repression. Around 50,000 people have been arrested since then and 110,000 others removed from public sector jobs.
About 30 activists of French watchdog Reporters without Borders staged a protest at the Turkish embassy on Friday, holding images journalists jailed in Turkey.
Macron is expected to raise the question of press freedom with Erdogan. They are also set to discuss Turkish ties with the European Union as well as the Palestinian issue and the conflict in Syria and Iraq.
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