Turkey: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, has declared that his "doors are closed" to Jeffry Flake, the US ambassador to Ankara, going forward after the diplomat's recent meeting with his rival in the upcoming presidential election.
Erdogan was present at a ceremony on Sunday in Istanbul's Bagcilar neighbourhood to mark the official opening of close to 100 homes and other structures constructed after a series of devastating earthquakes.
He discussed the May 14 election and the US envoy's alleged abuse of his diplomatic authority in a follow-up meeting with a group of representatives from the far-right Grey Wolves movement.
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According to Erdogan, who was quoted by Anadolu, "We need to teach America a lesson in these elections."
According to a tweet from the US Embassy, Ambassador Flake met with Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the head of the Republican People's Party (CHP), on March 29 "as part of continuing conversations with Turkish political parties on issues of mutual interest between our two countries."
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"Our doors are shut for him; he is no longer permitted to enter. Why? He must understand where he belongs, said Erdogan. "Shame on you, use your common sense. You are a representative. The president is your interlocutor at this time.
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Erdogan's comments were made less than six weeks before the Turkish presidential and general elections, which are scheduled for May 14; after months of political squabbling, an alliance of six opposition parties has nominated Kilicdaroglu as their candidate.
Following the devastating earthquake that struck the nation in early February and left more than 50,000 people dead, the president and his governing AK Party are anticipated to face a difficult challenge.