In his interview with Daily Sabah's Mahmut Övür on Saturday, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu criticized U.S. Ambassador to Turkey John Bass again over the U.S. Embassy's statement about the removal of PKK-linked mayors.
The administrators replaced municipality chiefs accused of providing financial and organizational support to the PKK terrorist organization.
"Unfortunately, the U.S. ambassador was unable to understand how Turkish people feel about the failed 15 July coup attempt and what it means for our people," said Soylu in the interview, "or he understood it in reverse. This is unfortunate for an ambassador of a great country. Of course, not understanding a nation's codes can be defined as ignorance."
Regarding the closure of the German and British embassies and consulates over the last week, Soylu said that the foreign representation offices had been closed after a tipoff concerning a Daesh threat. He added that Turkish security forces had followed up this information and captured four Daesh suspects in Ankara and Istanbul, and that the embassies had been notified of the results.
This is the second time Soylu has criticized Bass, as he also spoke out against the U.S. Embassy's statement on the removal of mayors accused of links to terror groups during a Qurban Bayram event in Trabzon on Sept. 14, where he said it is disappointing for ambassadors of ally countries to comment on issues that are not their business.
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Bass's comments about the government's decision to replace 24 PKK-linked mayors with administrators caused anger among Turkish politicians and said the statement amounts to an intervention in the judiciary of an independent state.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also voiced concerns over the U.S. Embassy statement in a telephone conversation with the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
Çavuşoğlu responded to the U.S. Embassy statement, saying no foreign ambassador could act like a governor in Turkey. "Some statements, especially those from our allies, are upsetting at a time when we are fighting against terrorism," he said on Tuesday in his hometown Antalya, criticizing the U.S.'s attempt to meddle in Turkey's internal affairs. "No elected official can have immunity if they are aiding terrorists," he added.
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahçeli also showed support for the removal of mayors accused of terror links.
"If these removals are done as part of the fight against terror, then it is something right, even if the mayor is from the Nationalist Movement Party," he said on Monday.
