1 May 2007
Turkey will continue to play a crucial role as a “key partner” despite concerns over its current Presidential election, Tony Blair has said.
On Sunday, hundreds of thousands of people rallied in Istanbul over the candidacy of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul for President, and in support of secularism.
The PM said he had been following developments closely and that it was essential those engaged in the political process “do so in accordance with Turkey’s well-established democratic principles.”
In a statement issued by No10 he said:
“I have been following developments in Turkey following the first round of the presidential elections closely.Â
“As I saw when I visited Prime Minister Erdogan in December, Turkey is a strong democracy. It is essential that all those engaged in the political process do so in accordance with Turkey’s well-established democratic principles and in compliance with the constitution.
“I am confident that this will happen, and that Turkey will continue to play a crucial role as a key and democratic partner.”
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