Merkel urges ‘respectful dialogue’ in Turkey after referendum

BERLIN

German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on April 17 to seek “respectful dialogue” within the country after his narrow win in a referendum extending his powers.

“The [German] government expects that the Turkish government will now seek respectful dialogue with all political and social forces in the country, after this tough election campaign,” Merkel said in a statement issued jointly with foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel, who said a day earlier that “people should remain calm.”  

“It looks like it will be a close result, as expected. However the vote of the Turkish people turns out in the end, we’d be well advised to keep calm and to proceed in a level-headed way,” Gabriel said in a statement that came after the referendum, in which the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) won a tight majority to change the current parlaiamentary system to an executive presidency. 

“It’s good that election campaign, which was fought so bitterly, including here in Germany, is now over,” Gabriel had said.