Turkish Premier calls new US ambassador to Turkey “a roockie”

The Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has called Francis Joseph Ricciardone, the US’s new ambassador to Turkey, a ‘rookie’ after his remarks on press freedom in Turkey. The Turkish Premier said, that “he does not know Turkey has no idea which laws there are.”

Asked by reporters about his opinion on a recent raid on Oda TV, a dissident online news portal, Ricciardone made a statement at a reception late Tuesday that seemed to accuse the government of hypocrisy on the issue of press freedom.

The offices of Oda TV and the homes of its owner, the well-known journalist Soner Yalçın, and several staff members were raided Monday by Istanbul police based on suspected links to an alleged coup plot.

Ricciardone’s remarks drew criticism from government officials, including Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, who said it is not right for an ambassador to pass judgment on an ongoing criminal investigation.