Albania refused to bow down to PM’s pressure on Palestine vote: Report

ISTANBUL

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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan tried but failed to convince Albania to abandon plans to abstain on a vote to upgrade Palestine’s status at the United Nations and vote “yes” instead, according to daily Hürriyet.
 
Erdoğan told reporters earlier that he had personally called the leader of an unnamed country to discuss their planned abstention vote despite their previously positive attitude.
 
Erdoğan then said the world “heavily consisted of cowards."
 
Albania, the country Erdoğan reportedly targeted his criticism at, changed its vote from “no” to an abstention following heavy pressure from Ankara, but refused to vote “yes,” Hürriyet reported.
 
Erdoğan reportedly pressured Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berişa, saying an abstention "means a vote of no."
 
"I told them that this would upset the bilateral relations we have, and that it would upset us too," Erdoğan said.