EU CALLS FOR CALM The Latest on the attempted military coup in Turkey

Posted on 07/19/2016 | About Turkey

The European Union's 28 member states are calling on Turkish authorities, including police and security forces, to exercise restraint in the wake of the failed coup.

“All must be done to avoid further violence, to protect lives and to restore calm,” the bloc's foreign ministers said in a statement following a meeting Monday in Brussels.
“The EU calls for the full observance of Turkey's constitutional order and stresses the importance of the rule of law prevailing,” the ministers said. “It is crucial to ensure full respect for all democratic institutions of the country including the elected government and the Turkish Grand National Assembly.”
They added that “the unequivocal rejection of the death penalty is an essential element” of the bloc's conditions for membership, the ministers added.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suggested that Turkey might reinstate capital punishment, which was abolished in 2004. Turkey, already a NATO member, also aspires to join the EU.