As the debate over whether European Union (EU) officials asked main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) presidential candidate Muharrem Ince whether he would prosecute President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan if elected, Denmark's ambassador to Ankara firmly denied the allegations Monday upon a recent claim.
Professor Fahrettin Altun, Istanbul general coordinator for the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), wrote Monday in a column for Sabah daily that it was the Danish ambassador who asked the controversial question to Ince at a May 22 meeting between the CHP candidate and EU ambassadors and officials in Istanbul.
Altun, who is also a columnist for Daily Sabah, wrote that the question was indeed posed in the meeting, despite denial by Ince and many other EU officials, and a source told him that it was the Danish ambassador who asked the question.
Svend Olling said in a tweet Monday that neither he nor any other attendees asked "such a question or anything remotely resembling it."
Separately, Olling also told Daily Sabah Monday that "I did not ask this question or any question similar to that."
According to Altun, public opinion reacted negatively to the question and questioned why Ince did not put the ambassador in his place.
Ince met with the EU officials during an iftar dinner attended by a number of ambassadors. The meeting was closed to the press and not announced in advance by any participant country's embassy or EU delegation in Turkey.
In a televised interview Thursday night on broadcaster CNN Türk, Ince claimed: "I was asked whether I would put Erdoğan on trial or not. No, I will not. I do not have any authority as such."
Upon his remarks a journalist asked if the ambassadors asked this question and Ince said "no." But he later added that: "Yes, they asked it as well."
Later on Friday, Ince said in a tweet that the question was not asked in the meeting with the EU ambassadors and he did not say that the question was posed.
Ince is running as a presidential candidate in the upcoming June 24 presidential and parliamentary elections. His contestants are incumbent President Erdoğan, who also chairs the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) candidate Selahattin Demirtaş, Felicity Party (SP) Chairman Temel Karamollaoğlu, Good Party (IP) Chairwoman Meral Akşener and Patriotic Party (VP) Chairman Doğu Perinçek.
