The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accused Western governments on Sunday of trying to influence the May elections by closing consulates, among other measures, and warned that they “will pay a high price” if these types of gestures persist.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned last week the ambassadors of the countries that paralyzed their consulates in Istanbul, in anticipation of an escalation of tensions derived from the burning of copies of the Koran in protests.
Erdoğan explained that during this first contact with ambassadors from the United States, France and Germany, among other Western countries, Turkey gave an “ultimatum”.
“We have a government meeting on Monday and we will make the decisions that are necessary,” declared the president, during an act in the Aydin region, in the west of the country, according to the AFP news agency.
Erdogan, who said he felt he was the victim of “despicable campaigns”, said foreign politicians and media were working to influence the May vote.in which he will aspire to a new mandate.
Within this alleged interference, the president includes incidents such as the burning of the Koran in Sweden, “which is endorsed under the guise of free speech.”
He also stated that, in the West, there is an interest in creating a false sense of insecurity of Turkey that can affect the tourism sectorkey to the country’s economy, according to the local news agency Anatolia.