I hope Turkey avoids our mistakes in fight against terrorism: US ambassador

İpek Yezdani - ISTANBUL

U.S. Ambassador to Ankara John Bass has said Turkey should “avoid making the mistakes that the U.S. made” in its fight against terrorism, warning that an overly broad definition of terrorism could erode fundamental freedoms. 

“We hope our friends in Turkey will avoid making some of the same mistakes that we have made,” Bass said during the Independence Day reception hosted by the U.S. consulate in Istanbul on the evening of July 6. 

“Unfortunately it has been another painful year since many of us gathered last July, a few short days before the terrible events of July 15,” he added, referring to last year’s military coup attempt in Turkey.

“Our socities, America, Turkey and those of many of our friends, have again suffered pain and loss at the hands of terrorists. As we saw almost one year ago today, on the terrible night of July 15, Turkish citizens defended democracy against the people who attacked it, at great coast,” he said, extending the U.S. government’s “deep condolences to everyone in this country who has suffered losses from violence over the last year.” 

“If we have learned anything from last year and the violence of this year, it is that the only answer to terrorism and violence is justice and tolerance,” Bass added. 

“We support the Turkish government’s ongoing efforts to bring to justice those who were responsible for the terrible events of a year ago. In our own experience dealing with terrorism in recent years, in the U.S., we have learned some painful lessons. Among those lessons, we have learned that rushing to justice or making an overly broad definition of terrorism can erode fundamental freedoms and undermine public confidence in government. We learned those lessons the hard way. It is our hope that our friends in Turkey will avoid making some of the same mistakes that we have made,” he said.