Obama Presses Erdogan in Phone Call to Respect Rights
- President says U.S. backs democratically elected government
- Obama, Turkish president talk four days after coup attemp
U.S., EU Warn Turkey's Erdogan Over Coup Crackdown
President Barack Obama pledged U.S. support for the democratically elected government of Turkey while urging embattled Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to respect civil liberties as he responds to the coup attempt that almost forced him from power.
Obama spoke with Erdogan by phone Tuesday and pledged “any needed assistance to the Turkish government” in the wake of last week’s attempted coup, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in Washington. Even so, Obama made clear the U.S. expects that any inquiry should be conducted “consistent with the democratic” values of the Turkish constitution, he said while declining to answer whether the U.S. is concerned that the response won’t respect those democratic values.