ANKARA (AA) – Reuters has once again targeted Türkiye by publishing misleading and fake news, the country’s communications director said Wednesday.

“This is not the first time that Reuters, an apparatus of perception operations and systematic manipulation targeting (President) Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Türkiye, publishes misleading and fake news,” Fahrettin Altun said in a tweet.

Altun’s remarks came right after Reuters published a story on Türkiye, targeting Erdogan and Türkiye’s Communications Directorate.

He said being targeted by Reuters is a “sign that we are on the right track and a badge of honor,” adding over the last four years the directorate has faced disinformation campaigns targeting Türkiye.

“Reuters spread disinformation against Türkiye at the height of Daesh’s terror campaign, while our nation was mercilessly cracking down on that organization.

“In truth, that was an attempt to cover up the fact that some Western governments turned a blind eye or, with the help of their intelligence services, actively facilitated the influx of foreign terrorist fighters into Syria,” Altun said.

He added that Reuters also distorted statements made by Erdogan, which they ended up having to correct.

“Obviously, there is no forgetting that Reuters played a certain role, which it was assigned as part of economic and financial operations targeting Türkiye.

“This is the sort of news agency that attempts to target the Türkiye Communications Model and the Directorate today. We know perfectly well Reuters’ intentions, the purpose it serves and what it is doing for that purpose,” he said.

Türkiye defends the truth from a system characterized by occupation, military coups, and civil wars, and nurtures terrorist organizations not just in Türkiye but also in various parts of the world, Altun said.

“It is our understanding that the economic crisis in Europe hurts your organization together with the UK. It seems that you opt to report from behind your desks because it is cheaper and easier. Thus you pass off imaginary and made-up scenarios, filled with baseless prejudice and cliches, as you have many times before.

“We remind you once again that this is not the way to engage in true journalism, regardless of the circumstances, and urge you to report the facts and the facts alone,” he added.