Kingdom welcomes return to normalcy

Riyadh — Saudi Arabia welcomed Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's success in prevailing against a coup attempt, the Saudi Press Agency quoted a Foreign Ministry official source as saying on Saturday. "The source said the Kingdom welcome that things returned to normal led by his Excellency President Tayyip Erdogan and his elected government in line with the constitutional legitimacy and the will of the Turkish people," SPA said. The Saudi Foreign Ministry source said in the statement that the Kingdom "had followed with much concern developments in brotherly Turkey." Meanwhile, Turkey's regional allies and other world leaders expressed support for it and its democratic institutions. In a telephone call with the Turkish leader, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani "congratulated (Erdogan) on the support of the people of Turkey on his rule against the failed military coup," the official QNA news agency reported. Sheikh Tamim "strongly condemned this failed attempt and voiced... (Qatar's) solidarity with Turkey... in all measures it takes to protect constitutional legitimacy, enforce the rule of law and preserve its security and stability." World leaders urged "respect for democratic institutions" . US President Barack Obama urged all sides in Turkey to support the democratically elected government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In a statement issued after a meeting with his national security advisers Friday, Obama also urged everyone in Turkey to show restraint and avoid violence or bloodshed. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he had spoken to his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, to underline support for Turkey's "democratic elected government and institutions" in the wake of the overnight coup attempt. Spain's acting Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo condemned the attempted coup telling Spanish national television that his government completely supports the Turkish government headed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He says "without a doubt we support respecting the constitution and democratically elected institutions, and we condemn all coups without reservation." An aide to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attempted coup in a statement and said Pakistan "hopes that peace and normalcy will be restored in Turkey." Tariq Fatimi also said he had contacted Turkey's foreign minister to express solidarity with Turkey's government and democratic institutions.