Prime Minister Scott Morrison has slammed Turkey’s President and threatened further action for “deeply offensive” comments besmirching Anzacs and threatening violence to Australians and New Zealanders following the Christchurch massacre.
Australia will review its travel advice for Turkey following President Tayyip Erdogan’s threats Australians visiting Gallipoli would return in coffins like their grandparents if they came to the country with anti-Muslim sentiment.
Mr Morrison summoned the Turkish ambassador Korhan Karakoç to Parliament House this morning and left the meeting warning he would take further action.
“I do not accept the excuses that have been offered for those comments,” Mr Morrison told reporters after his meeting with the ambassador.
Mr Erdogan criticised the Anzacs for their role in the Gallipoli campaign and threatened to return anyone who came to his country with anti-Islam sentiment back in coffins.
Mr Morrison said he had spoken with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and would continue to liaise with the New Zealand Government in response to the comments.
He said he wanted the comments withdrawn and the state broadcaster to revoke its “misrepresentation” of Australian policy.
Mr Morrison said failure to do that would prompt further action.The Government has not released a timeframe for how long it would take to review Australia’s travel advisory for visitors to Turkey.
Mr Erdogan claimed the mosque attacks in New Zealand were part of a wider attack on Turkey and evidence of global anti-Muslim sentiment.
Before speaking with the ambassador, Mr Morrison told the ABC he was “very offended” with Mr Erdogan’s remarks.
“I don’t find these comments very helpful,” he said.
“I don’t find them very accurate or truthful as well, because the actions of the Australian and New Zealand government[s] have been consistent with our values of welcoming and supporting people from all around the world.”
Australian Brenton Tarrant is facing murder charges in New Zealand after a lone gunman opened fire at two mosques during prayers on Friday.
The massacre killed 50 people and left dozens of people injured.
Mr Erdogan, who has been touring the country ahead of local elections later this month, again showed excerpts of a video taken by the attacker during the mosque shootings and denounced what he called rising hatred and prejudice against Islam.
He criticised New Zealand and Australia for sending troops to Turkey in the World War I Gallipoli campaign, claiming their motive was anti-Islam-oriented.
“Your grandparents came here … and they returned in caskets,” he said.Mr Erdogan said Turkey was wrong to have abolished the death penalty 15 years ago, and added that New Zealand should make legal arrangements so the Christchurch gunman could face capital punishment.Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
“Australia has denounced, New Zealand has denounced, absolutely and completely, the act of extremist right-wing terrorism, white supremacist terrorism that we saw in New Zealand,” Mr Morrison said.”I find the responsibility, in these situations, of all leaders is to take the temperature down on these issues, and I don’t intend to seek to escalate that in the response I’m giving today.
“So I’m going to be speaking directly to the Turkish ambassador about this.” ABC NEWS