Turkey calls on all parties in US to 'maintain restraint and prudence'

In response to the scenes of supporters of US President Donald Trump storming the Capitol building yesterday (January 6), Turkey has urged all parties in the US "to use moderation and common sense."

Releasing a written statement regarding the developments, Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said:

"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. 

"We call on all parties in the U.S. to maintain restraint and prudence. We believe the U.S. will overcome this internal political crisis in a mature manner.

"We advise Turkish citizens in the U.S. to avoid crowded areas and places where protests are taking place."

'We are always in favor of democracy'

As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), Turkey's Parliamentary Speaker Mustafa Şentop has also tweeted, "We follow the events in the USA with concern and invite the parties to calmness."

"We believe that problems will always be solved within law and democracy. As Turkey, we have always been in favor of the law and democracy and we recommend it to everyone," Şentop has added further.

We follow the events in the USA with concern and invite the parties to calmness. We believe that problems will always be solved within law and democracy. As Turkey, we have always been in favor of the law and democracy and we recommend it to everyone.

— Prof. Dr. Mustafa Şentop (@MustafaSentop) January 6, 2021

On Twitter, Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın has also expressed how Turkey is carefully watching the events, saying, "We follow the recent developments in the US capital with a lot of concern."

"We maintain our belief that democracy in the USA will become operational as soon as possible with all its institutions and practices," Fahrettin Altun, the Communications Director of President Erdoğan, wrote on Twitter.

'Astonishing to see this sort of language...'

Click to read the article in Turkish

On the other side, Clarrisa Ward, a correspondent for CNN International, referred to the statements of Turkey as "quite interesting."

Brifly summarizing the statement of İbrahim Kalın on a live news bulletin today, she said, "This is exactly the kind of language that we are used to reading in a US press release to American citizens who might be a city in the Middle East during a crisis or riot of this nature.

"It is astonishing to see this sort of language used by a country like Turkey, warning its citizens of the dangers of walking around in the US' capital."

4 deaths in the US

At least four people died on or near the US Capitol as Donald Trump's supporters rioted and besieged the federal legislature, police said.

The US police had earlier confirmed the death of one woman who was shot, and D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee further elaborated that the woman was shot by a plainclothes Capitol Police officer.

The woman was "transported to a local hospital where, after all lifesaving efforts failed, she was pronounced deceased," Contee said. 

At least 14 police officers were injured, including one who was hurt seriously when he was "pulled into a crowd and assaulted," Contee added. Most of the other injured officers sustained non-serious wounds with the exception of one whose face was significantly injured by a thrown projectile.

At least 52 people have been arrested, the vast majority of whom (47 people) were taken into custody for violating Mayor Muriel Bowser's curfew order, D.C. Police Chief Contee said. He stressed, however, that the figure would change, saying that arrests are still ongoing.

Trump and his allies have for months alleged that the election he lost to Joe Biden by 7 million votes in November 2020 was rigged, stirring emotions among his supporters with conspiracy theories that have been repeatedly rejected in court. The Justice Department of the country also found no evidence to support his claims of widespread voter fraud.

Trump earlier Wednesday said during a nearby rally with his supporters just hours before the Capitol was overrun, telling them he would "never concede" defeat, alleging there was "theft involved." (SD)