The highest-ranking European official to visit Turkey since last month’s failed coup attempt urged Ankara to respect the rule of law.
Thorbjørn Jagland, secretary-general of the Council of Europe, said Wednesday after talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu that he understood Turkey’s need to “take on those behind the coup” on July 15 but urged it to tread carefully, AFP reported.
More than 50,000 Turks have been detained or fired over suspected links with the failed putsch.
Çavuşoğlu said Turkey has “never forgotten our commitments” to the Council of Europe. “We have never made compromises on our understanding of democracy and will never do,” he said.
The Council of Europe monitors human rights compliance among its 47 members, including Turkey.