USA: Obama 'troubled' by Turkey's media crackdown

US President Barack Obama said he was troubled by Turkey's media crackdown during the closing press conference of the fourth and last Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in Washington D.C., Friday.
"It's not a secret that there are some trends within Turkey that I've been troubled with. I'm a strong believer in freedom of the press. I'm a strong believer in freedom of religion. I'm a strong believer in rule of law and democracy. And there is no doubt that President Erdogan has repeatedly been elected through a democratic process but I think the approach they have been taking towards the press is one that could lead Turkey down the path that would be very troubling," Obama said.
"We are going to continue to advise them and I've said to President Erdogan, reminded him that he came into office with the promise of democracy and Turkey has historically been a country in which deep Islamic faith has lived side by side with modernity and an increasing openness. And that's the legacy that he should pursue rather than the strategy that involves repression of information and shutting down democratic debate," he added.
The NSS is a world summit initiated by Obama's administration; it is aimed at preventing nuclear proliferation and securing vulnerable nuclear materials worldwide.