"Does the British magazine determine the fate of Turkey?"

In response to The Economist whose latest issue came with a cover headline reading, "Turkey’s looming dictatorship; a special report on Erdogan's empire,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "The British magazine cannot determine the fate of Turkey."

Turkey is on the brink of a disaster under its increasingly "erratic" president, the UK's leading magazine said on Wednesday.

Speaking to a groups of reporters after Friday prayers in Istanbul, Erdogan reacted, saying:

"Does the British magazine determine the fate of Turkey? It is my nation who determine it. Whatever my people say happens in Turkey. The British magazine cannot determine the fate of Turkey."

The communications director under the Turkish presidency, Fahrettin Altun, earlier reacted to The Economist's headline and article saying it is "cheap propaganda". Calling The Economist "so-called journal," Altun said:

Here we go again! The Economist recycles its intellectually lazy, dull, and purposefully ignorant depiction of Türkiye. It seems like they feel obligated to announce the end of Turkish democracy through regurgitating cliches, misinformation and blatant propaganda.

— Fahrettin Altun (@fahrettinaltun) January 19, 2023

"Outrageous headlines and provocative imagery might help them sell their so-called journal, so we congratulate them on their ingenious marketing techniques! But we must remind the audience that this is sensationalist journalism based on cheap propaganda and disinformation."