Turkish EU minister slams US ambassador over remarks

ADANA

Turkish Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Omer Celik criticized the U.S. ambassador in Ankara over his remarks regarding Turkey appointing trustees to municipalities on Wednesday.

Speaking to journalists in the Pozanti district of the southern province Adana, Celik said: “These issues are not the U.S. ambassador’s, nor other ambassador’s business. [...] Government deals with a foreign minister or some other addressee."

"The remarks made as if he is in a position to address home affairs cannot be accepted,” he added.

The U. S. embassy in Ankara released a statement on its website on Sept. 11 saying: “We are concerned about reports of clashes in Turkey’s Southeast following the Government’s decision to remove some elected local officials from office on charges of supporting terrorism, and appoint local trustees in their place,” it read.

Celik said not a single democratic country can tolerate terrorism, adding democracy and a nation of laws had their “red lines”. He went on to say" “If any municipality abuses the authority and facilities that serve the public to support terrorists, [...] it is unthinkable that any sovereign state allows this.”

Twenty-eight trustees were appointed to oversee local administrations Sunday following the suspension of mayors accused of links to terrorism.

The affected areas are mostly in the east and southeast of the country, including the provincial capitals Hakkari and Batman and districts within the provinces of Agri, Van, Diyarbakir, Erzurum, Igdir, Mardin, Sanliurfa and Mus.

*Reporting by Ibrahim Erikan Ahmet Sait Akcay