ISTANBUL: Turkey's top diplomat on Friday condemned US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's "blatant ignorance" for suggesting President Donald Trump was trampling on democracy as if he were in Turkey.
Trump indicated on Wednesday he might not honour the results of the November 3 presidential election, repeating his claim - widely decried as unfounded - that a surge in mail-in ballots due to the coronavirus pandemic could delegitimise the poll.
His comments created a firestorm in Washington, with Pelosi telling the US leader: "You are not in North Korea, you are not in Turkey, you are not in Russia, Mr. President."
Both Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's top press aide took exception with Pelosi's suggestion that Turkey was not a fully democratic state.
"@SpeakerPelosi's rise to become Speaker of the House is what is truly worrisome for American democracy, given her blatant ignorance," Cavusoglu posted on Twitter in English.
"You will learn to respect the Turkish people's will," he said, also tagging Trump's Twitter handle.
Pelosi also accused Trump of admiring Russian and Turkish presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Turkish leader's top press aide, Fahrettin Altun, called Pelosi's remarks "careless".
"It's against the US national interest and the spirit of an alliance to denigrate Turkey in an attempt to score domestic political points," he tweeted.
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