By Busra Akin Dincer, Ayhan Simsek, Magda Panoutsopoulou, Hajer M’tiri and Ilker Girit
ANKARA (AA) – World leaders denounced the attempted coup in Turkey on Saturday.
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he had spoken to his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu to underline the U.K.’s support for the democratically elected government.
In Germany, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called for democracy and the rule of law to be respected in Turkey.
“I condemn in the strongest terms all attempts to change the basic democratic order in Turkey by using violence,” he said in a statement.
Greek government spokeswoman Olga Gerovasili also voiced support for Turkish democracy and said Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras would be in touch with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.
In a tweet, Tsipras said the “government and the people of Greece are following the ongoing situation in Turkey standing for democracy and constitutional order”.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Turkey had “witnessed an attempted forced coup against the constitutional and democratic order, which calls the strongest condemnation of France.”
He said the Turkish population had “shown its maturity and courage by committing to the respect of institutions. They paid the price with many victims, which my thoughts go to.”
In a statement from the EU President Donald Tusk, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and the foreign affairs representative Federica Mogherini, the EU said it “fully supports the democratically elected government, the institutions of the country and the rule of law. We call for a swift return to Turkey’s constitutional order.”
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev pledged his country’s support for the Turkish state and people, aide Ali Hasanov told Azerbaijan State News Agency.
Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said he condemned “any form of violence, and support the democratically elected institutions in the Republic of Turkey.” He added: “The stability and peace in Turkey are of primary importance to us and so is respecting human rights.”
