Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he doesn't care if European leaders call him a dictator.

Speaking after international condemnation following the arrest of two leaders of the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) and 11 other MPs from the group on Friday, Mr Erdogan accused Europe of aiding terrorism by supporting Kurdish militants.

"Europe, as a whole, is abetting terrorism. Even though they declared the PKK [Kurdistan Workers' Party] a terrorist organisation, this is clear," he said in a televised speech on Sunday, Hurriyet Daily News reports.

"I don't care if they [the West] call me a dictator or whatever else. It goes in one ear, out the other."

In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Show all 17 1 /17 In pictures: Turkey coup attempt In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Erdogan attends the funeral service for victims of the thwarted coup in Istanbul at Fatih mosque on July 17, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey Burak Kara/Getty Images In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soldiers involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge with their hands raised in Istanbul on 16 July, 2016 Gokhan Tan/Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A civilian beats a soldier after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 REUTERS/Murad Sezer In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Surrendered Turkish soldiers who were involved in the coup are beaten by a civilian Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soliders involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wave flags as they capture a Turkish Army vehicle Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt People pose near a tank after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's Bosphorus Brigde Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A Turkish military stands guard near the Taksim Square in Istanbul Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Pierre Crom/Twitter In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers secure the area as supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in Istanbul's Taksim square AP In pictures: Turkey coup attempt People demonstrate in front of the Republic Monument at the Taksim Square in Istanbul Murad Sezer/Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers detain police officers during a security shutdown of the Bosphorus Bridge Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish Army armoured personnel carriers in the main streets of Istanbul Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Chaos reigned in Istanbul as tanks drove through the streets EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media in the resort town of Marmaris Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of President Erdogan celebrate in Ankara following the suppression of the attempted coup Reuters

He said the West should not hope to "bring Turkey into line" with "newspapers, caricatures, calling us a dictator, and so on, expecting that we would take a step back".

Relations between the EU and membership candidate Turkey are going through a "fragile" period, Turkish EU affairs minister Omer Celik said on Monday. He accused those who would call for a freeze in talks with Ankara of racism.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said she was “extremely worried” over the detention of HDP leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksek, while US State Department spokesman John Kirby said there was a “worrisome trend” of limiting freedom of expression in Turkey.

Turkish police had used tear gas and plastic bullets on Saturday to disperse a demonstration in Istanbul against the arrests.

Turkey in ‘largest-ever offensive’ against Kurdish fighters

Turkish authorities sparked further controversy on Friday by restricting social media and messaging services such as WhatsApp following the arrests.

The country remains under a state of emergency imposed after the failed coup in July, which allows Mr Erdogan and his government to bypass parliament when drafting new laws and to restrict or suspect citizens' rights and freedoms.

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European officials have been increasingly critical of Turkey's crackdown on those it suspects of involvement in the attempted coup. More than 110,000 judges, teachers, police and civil servants have been detained or suspended in a response that critics say is quashing legitimate opposition.

Some 170 newspapers, magazines, TV stations and news agencies have been closed, leaving 2,500 journalists unemployed, Turkey's association of journalists says.

In October the government announced it would soon submit proposals to parliament for constitutional changes that would make Mr Erdogan "executive president", expanding his powers further.