UPDATE - 'French firm Lafarge exposed as 1 of most important institutions supporting terrorism'

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY TURKISH PRESIDENT, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR; ADDS BACKGROUND

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - French cement giant Lafarge is now exposed as one of the most important institutions supporting terrorism, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

"When I said how the French cement giant, called Lafarge, supported and helped terrorist organizations in northern Syria, the French did not understand this.

"I told this to (French President Emmanuel) Macron. Now in the French parliament, they asked Macron for Lafarge's account," Erdogan told the 12th Conference of Information Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul.

"At the moment, Lafarge has become one of the most important issues on the agenda of France. Lafarge is now fully exposed as one of the most important institutions supporting terrorism," Erdogan added.

Lafarge was slapped Tuesday with a heavy fine of $778 million by a US court for supporting several terror groups in Syria in 2013-2014, including Daesh/ISIS.

Erdogan said that although Türkiye is the "only country" fighting Daesh/ISIS terror group in field, it is subjected to "immoral accusations."

"Today, it is revealed one by one with evidence and court decisions that those who slandered us yesterday did business with Deash, traded, and transferred millions of euros to terrorists in the same period," he added.

- 'Digital terrorism poses threat to security'

Erdogan told the conference that the diversification of news sources and increased involvement of the media, especially social media, in daily lives bring many advantages as well as vital risks.

"Information pollution and disinformation are the forefronts of these threats," he said.

During the two-day conference, ministers and high-level representatives from 57 countries will discuss issues that will deepen cooperation in the fields of media, communication, and information in the Islamic world.

The conference, which will gather under the theme Combating Disinformation and Islamophobia in the Post-Truth Era, aims to develop and strengthen the cooperation of Islamic countries in the field of media and communication.

"Fake news and support for terrorist organizations constitute one side of the coin, while the other side is Islamophobia and xenophobia," Erdogan said.

He also said digital terrorism poses a clear threat not only to democracy and social peace but also to the national security of the countries.

Also addressing the conference, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said there is an increase in discrimination, hatred, and hostility towards Islam and Muslims all over the world, especially in Western countries.

"Under the umbrella of our organization, we need to implement mechanisms that will be operated globally in the fight against Islamophobia," Altun said.