[An Nahar] Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has contacted U.S. Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry
Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State...
to object to recent statements from Washington expressing concern over Turkey's handling of mass anti-government protests, a foreign ministry diplomat told Agence La Belle France Presse Wednesday.
"Turkey is not a second-class democracy," Davutoglu told Kerry in a phone call late on Tuesday, the diplomat said on condition of anonymity.
| Yes, dear, you are so right. Now sit in that chair and I'll get you some milk and cookies. |
Kerry on Monday said he was concerned by reports of excessive use of force by Turkish police to quell the biggest protests since Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's decade in power, urging all sides to "avoid any provocations or violence."
Davutoglu assured Kerry an investigation was under way into the police response, the ministry source said.
The diplomat added that the foreign minister told Kerry the protests were not "extraordinary", comparing them to the Occupy Wall Street movement that sprang up in the United States in 2011.
On Tuesday, Deputy Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Arinc apologized to those injured after police used tear gas and water cannon against the protesters and said the government had "learnt its lesson", in comments that were welcomed by the White House. |