Turkey urges US to maintain restraint, prudence

ANKARA

Turkey has urged the United States to maintain restraint and prudence while expressing concerns over the pro-Trump supporters’ storming the Capitol Hill in a bid to intervene a routine procedure that would certify Democrat Party’s Joe Biden’s election as the 46th president of the country.

“We are following with concern the internal developments happening in the U.S. following the Presidential elections, which culminated in the Capitol Hill building being breached by protesters today,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Jan. 6.

“We call on all parties in the U.S. to maintain restraint and prudence. We believe the U.S. will maturely overcome this internal political crisis,” the ministry added, also advising the Turkish citizens in Washington D.C. to stay away from crowded places and areas where demonstrations were being held.

The messages from Ankara continued on Jan. 7 with Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop asking the parties in the U.S. to stay calm.

“We believe that problems will always be solved within law and democracy,” Şentop said.

“As Turkey, we have always been in favor of the law and democracy, and we recommend it to everyone,” he added.

On Twitter, Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın also expressed his concern over the developments in the U.S., saying that Turkey has been carefully watching the events. “We follow the recent developments in the U.S. capital with a lot of concern.”

“We maintain our belief that democracy in the U.S. will become operational as soon as possible with all its institutions and practices,” Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun tweeted.

Ömer Çelik, the deputy leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), has described the violent demonstrations in the U.S. as unlawful and wrong. “Violence is never a method for claiming rights. We invite everybody to respect democratic values.”

“Just like everywhere in the world, we defend the superiority of the democratic processes and rule of law in the United States of America. Everybody should accept the election results with maturity,” he added.