Turkey summons US envoy over clash during Erdogan's US trip

The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Monday summoned the US Ambassador John Bass over a clash outside the Turkish embassy in Washington during President Erdogan's visit to Washington last week.

In a statement, Turkey protested the "aggressive and unprofessional actions" of American security personnel toward the Foreign Minister's protection team outside the Turkish embassy chancery.

The ministry said "a written and verbal protest" was delivered to the US ambassador over the actions of the American personnel that was "contrary to diplomatic rules and practices".

The ministry formally requested the US authorities to conduct a "full investigation" into the diplomatic incident and "provide the necessary explanation".

On May 17, the US State Department summoned Turkish Ambassador Serdar Kilic, and condemned the violent attack by Turkish security personnel on protesters as an assault on free speech.

On the same day, however, the Turkish Embassy said in a statement that the demonstrators in front of chancery had been "aggressively provoking Turkish-American citizens who had peacefully assembled to greet the President".

--IANS

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