World Leaders Seek Calm End to Turkey Crises, Most Back Erdogan

India calls upon all sides to support democracy, mandate of the ballot and avoid bloodshed, says Sushma Swaraj.

A man stands in front of a tank in the entrance to Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, early Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Photo: AP)

Leaders from all over the world have raised concerns about the threat to democracy in Turkey, after an attempted coup by a faction of the Turkish military.

INDIA

India’s Ministry of External Affairs called upon all those involved to support democracy and avoid bloodshed. It also cautioned Indians against travelling to Turkey until the situation was calmer.

EUROPEAN UNION

European Council President, Donald Tusk said that tensions in the area could not be resolved by guns.

Tusk, speaking in Mongolia during a regional summit on Saturday, also said the consequences of the attempted coup would be crucial for the whole region and for EU-Turkey relations.

GERMANY

Turkey’s democracy must be respected and Berlin is supporting the elected government in Ankara, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman said on Saturday.

JAPAN

Japan PM Shinzo Abe said Turkey’s democracy must be respected.

I strongly hope the situation normalises quickly, and that peace and order are restored.

Shinzo Abe

CHINA

China called on Turkey to restore order and stability as soon as possible, state television cited China’s foreign ministry as saying on Saturday.

UNITED STATES

President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry spoke over the phone and offered their support to Erdogan after Turkey’s military said it had seized power on Friday.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday he emphasized the United States’ “absolute support” for Turkey’s democratically elected, civilian government during a phone call with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

RUSSIA

The Kremlin said it was gravely concerned about events in Turkey, and that it had instructed officials to help Russian nationals in Turkey return home at the earliest opportunity.

SOUTH KOREA

The South Korean government expressed grave concern about the situation arising from actions by a faction of the Turkish military and hoped that the situation would swiftly be brought under control through enforcement of democratic and constitutional order.