Turkish Foreign Ministry Rejects United States Resolution Condemning Violence in Washington D.C.

On Thursday, May 25, the Turkish Foreign Ministry declined the approval of a United States congressional resolution that denounced the violence that took place outside the Turkish Ambassador’s residence in Washington D.C., last week.

Turkish Ambassador Huseyin Muftuoglu stated, “The incident that took place in front of the Turkish Ambassador’s Resident during the visit of President Erdogan to Washington was caused as a result of the refusal of U.S. authorities to take necessary security measures, despite repeated official warnings.  There is no answer to the question why the U.S. authorities did not take tight security measures in front of the Ambassador’s Residence as they did in other stages of the visit.”

The House Committee on Foreign Affairs approved a resolution on Thursday, condemning the violence that Turkish security forces inflicted on pro-Kurdish protesters.  In a widely-circulated video, the Turkish security forces could be seen punching, kicking and choking protestors during the Turkish President’s visit.

According to Laura Kelly of The Washington Times, “The resolution was led by House Foreign Affairs Chairman Rep. Ed Royce and supported by ranking Democrat Eliot Engel of New York with further bi-partisan support from Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland.”

The resolution not only clarified the disapproval of the incident by House members but also called upon the Secret Service to reanalyze its procedures on managing security personnel traveling with foreign officials.

Representative Royce notes that, “This timely resolution sends a clear signal to the Turkish government that we will not allow any foreign government to stifle the rights of our citizens… The rights of free expression and peaceful protest are fundamental values in any democracy.  By passing this resolution we reaffirm our commitment to protect these rights against all who seek to oppress them.”

Engel adds to this by saying, “The last thing we expect to see in the U.S. is a strongman’s thugs silencing peaceful protestors.”  It is clear that although Turkey is a NATO ally, their actions were unacceptable and proper measures must be taken to instill justice.  Though freedom of speech and expression are rights that are commonly practiced in the United States, they are privileges that are not well exercised in other countries.

Featured Image via Flickr/fortherock