BRUSSELS: The United States and European Union call on Turkey to respect the rule of law in the crackdown following the attempted coup, US Secretary of State John Kerry said during a visit to Brussels on Monday.
"We firmly urge the government of Turkey to maintain calm and stability throughout the country," Kerry told a news conference with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini after talks with EU foreign ministers.
"And we also urge the government of Turkey to uphold the highest standards of respect for the nation's democratic institutions and the rule of law."
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has detained more than 7,000 people and dismissed nearly 9,000 officials in a huge crackdown following the failed coup.
Kerry said that the United States and EU would be watching the situation to prevent "backsliding" by Turkey.
"I think the level of vigilance and scrutiny is going to be significant in the days ahead," he said.
Kerry meanwhile told Turkey it had to produce evidence to support the extradition of exiled Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen over alleged involvement in the failed coup.
"I urged the foreign minister to make certain that in whatever portfolio and request they send us, they send us evidence, not allegations," he said.
"We need to see genuine evidence that withstands the standard of scrutiny that exists in many countries with respect to the system of extradition."
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