ANKARA (Greek City Times) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he has closed his doors to US ambassador to Ankara Jeff Flake following his meeting with opposition leader Kemal Kiliçdaroglu.
“What is (US President Joe) Biden’s envoy doing? He goes and meets with Mr. Kemal. Shame on you, use your brain,” Erdogan was quoted as saying by Turkey’s Star newspaper on Sunday amid growing tension between Washington and Ankara.
“You are an ambassador. Your interlocutor here is the president. How will you ask for a meeting with the president after this,” Erdogan asserted, adding that his doors were now closed for the American envoy to “let him know his limits”.
Presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey are scheduled for May 14. Kiliçdaroglu, nominated as the presidential candidate for the country’s six opposition parties, is seen as the incumbent president’s main challenger.
Muharrem İnce and Sinan Ogan are two other contenders in the presidential race. However, the main competition is expected to be a head-to-head race between Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu.
The previous presidential election in Turkey was held in June 2018.
