Turkish MPs criticize US senators’ letter on Turkey
A group of Turkish MPs have criticized a letter sent by 54 US senators to President Joe Biden urging his administration to push Turkey’s leadership to do more to protect human rights.
"[The letter] is the latest example of hostile attempts against Turkey which are condemned to fail and [which are] inconsistent with the spirit of alliance,” 87 Turkish lawmakers, all members of the Turkey-US Parliamentary Friendship Group, said in a statement Friday, according to state-run Anadolu news agency.
“The signatory senators’ baseless and irresponsible allegations targeting our domestic and foreign policy in no way conform to our strategic partnership with the US nor to our alliance under NATO,” the MPs said.
“Ever since its founding, the Republic of Turkey is, and has always been, a fully independent modern democratic state based on the rule of law,” they said.
Fifty-four of the 100 senators signed Tuesday’s letter, which accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of marginalizing domestic opposition, silencing critical media, jailing journalists and purging independent judges.
