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Turkish minister says whole world ‘hates US’, calls Europe ‘American pawn’

Wednesday, 19 April 2023 6:30 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 19 April 2023 6:39 PM ]

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu (by AFP)

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu says the "whole world hates America" while suggesting that Europe is merely a pawn of the United States.

Suleyman Soylu, an outspoken critic of the United States who accuses Washington of the 2016 military coup attempt and plots to portray Turkey as an unstable state, made the remarks during a meeting with the youth in Istanbul.

According to him, America continues to lose confidence across the globe due to reckless foreign policy.

The minister said Europe is only an American pawn in Africa. All African countries, according to Soylu, hate states that exploit them.

The Turkish minister also suggested that Europe's actions and policies are primarily driven by Washington's interests rather than its own.

Soylu downplayed Europe's significance, asserting that it is a trend in America's column. “There is America. Europe is a train in America’s column. There is nothing special about him.”

The remarks come amid growing anti-US sentiments in Turkey and around the world and highlight the perception that the United States is losing credibility on the global stage.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the minister noted that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his doors were closed to US Ambassador Jeffrey Flake, who had spoken with only one opposition candidate in the upcoming presidential elections, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

He also noted that a diplomat “should know his place.”

Presidential elections are due to be held on May 14. Kilicdaroglu, Erdogan’s main rival will be the leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party.

'Take your dirty hands off Turkey,' Ankara rails against US envoy

The Turkish interior minister lashes out at the US ambassador in Ankara after Washington and eight European countries issued travel warnings and moved to temporarily close their diplomatic missions in Turkey over purported security concerns.

The Turkish interior minister censured the US ambassador in Ankara after Washington and eight European countries issued travel warnings and moved to temporarily close their diplomatic missions in Turkey over purported security concerns.

In February, the Turkish interior minister railed against the US ambassador, telling him to take his “dirty hands off Turkey.”

President Erdogan in recent years has threatened to expel several Western ambassadors for not observing diplomatic norms and repeatedly meddling in Turkey’s internal affairs.

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