Turkey’s foreign minister has harshly criticised US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi over her anti-Turkey remarks.
“@SpeakerPelosi’s rise to become Speaker of the House is what is truly worrisome for American democracy, given her blatant ignorance. You will learn to respect the Turkish people’s will,” Mevlut Cavusoglu wrote on Twitter on Friday.
.@SpeakerPelosi’s rise to become Speaker of the House is what is truly worrisome for American democracy, given her blatant ignorance. You will learn to respect the Turkish people’s will. @realDonaldTrump
— Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (@MevlutCavusoglu) September 25, 2020
On Wednesday, during a press conference, US President Donald Trump was asked if there would be a peaceful transition of power if he loses the 2020 elections.
“Well, we’ll have to see what happens,” Trump said.
On Trump’s remarks, Pelosi said, “We do know who he admires. He admires [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, he admires Kim Jong-un, he admires [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan in Turkey.”
“But I remind him, you are not in North Korea, you are not in Turkey, you are not in Russia, Mr President – and by the way, you are not in Saudi Arabia. You are in the United States of America, it is a democracy, so why don’t you just try for a moment to honour your oath of office, to the Constitution of the United States?” she added.
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‘Pervasive misconceptions’
Turkey’s Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, also described Pelosi’s comments as “pervasive misconceptions” on his Twitter account, reminding that election results and the people’s will are sacred in Turkey.
Altun also added, “We see this worrisome trend in US politics to make Turkey part of domestic political struggles and part of an effort to attack President Trump’s good relations with President Erdogan.”
We call on US politicians and especially those in leadership positions to stop attacking and start engaging a critical NATO ally like Turkey in a meaningful manner.
This would be in the US national interest and the right thing to do for the future of our bilateral ties.
— Fahrettin Altun (@fahrettinaltun) September 25, 2020
Altun then asked Pelosi in English, “When was the last time that there was no peaceful transfer of power in Turkey – with the exception of military coups?
“And we remember who supported those attacks against Turkish democracy, too,” he said in a thinly veiled reference to former US administrations.
Question for @SpeakerPelosi:
When was the last time that there was no peaceful transfer of power in Turkey – with the exception of military coups?
And we remember who supported those attacks against Turkish democracy, too.
— Fahrettin Altun (@fahrettinaltun) September 25, 2020
‘Ignorant and disrespectful characterisations’
Speaker of The Grand National Assembly of Turkey Mustafa Sentop has also condemned Pelosi’s remarks.
“I regretfully condemn Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives for making Turkey the subject&addressee of her heinous language which she uses in domestic political payoffs in the US and making ignorant and disrespectful characterisations about Turkey,” Sentop wrote on Twitter on Friday.
“Turkey is one of the world’s longest-standing democracies, with 144 years of background in parliamentary&constitutional tradition. Turkey is a state to even have put up the National Struggle 100 years ago, under the leadership of the Parliament based on the national will.”
1/4. I regretfully condemn Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives for making Turkey the subject&addressee of her heinous language which she uses in domestic political payoffs in the US and making ignorant and disrespectful characterizations about Turkey.
— Prof. Dr. Mustafa Şentop (@MustafaSentop) September 25, 2020
2/4. Turkey is one of the world’s longest-standing democracies, with 144 years of background in parliamentary&constitutional tradition. Turkey is a state to even have put up the National Struggle 100 years ago, under the leadership of the Parliament based on the national will.
— Prof. Dr. Mustafa Şentop (@MustafaSentop) September 25, 2020
He added that “If Nancy Pelosi is sincere about the sensitivity of democracy, she must pay in front of the global community for the US policies that prefer useful dictators and pro-coup generals against legitimate leaders and that support coups d’etat in various countries including Turkey.”
Sentop also advised Pelosi and other politicians to give up running election campaigns by attacking Turkey.
3/4. If Nancy Pelosi is sincere about the sensitivity of democracy, she must pay in front of the global community for the US policies that prefer useful dictators and pro-coup generals against legitimate leaders and that support coups d’état in various countries including Turkey.
— Prof. Dr. Mustafa Şentop (@MustafaSentop) September 25, 2020
4/4. I advise N.Pelosi&other like-minded politicians to give up running election campaigns by attacking other countries&in particular Turkey and learn to make politics w/out taking shelter in the concept of democracy which had been disgraced by some hypocrite western politicians.
— Prof. Dr. Mustafa Şentop (@MustafaSentop) September 25, 2020
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