Ankara calls Nancy Pelosi's anti-Turkey remarks 'blatant ignorance'

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 Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan'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," Çavuşoğlu 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 Erdoğan.

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.

Altun then asked Pelosi in English: "When was the last time that there was no peaceful transfer of power in Turkey -- with the exception of military coups?

"And we remember who supported those attacks against Turkish democracy, too," he said in a thinly-veiled reference to former US administrations.

The military staged three coups in 1960, 1971 and in 1980.

Erdoğan's government was also targeted by an attempted military takeover in 2016 that US-based FETO ringleader Fethullah Gulen and his followers were behind.
Erdoğan has never lost an election since his ruling Justice and Development Party came to power in 2002, and his victories have never been disputed.