Turkey Summons U.S. Envoy Even After Embassy Zaps Twitter ‘Like’

(Bloomberg) -- Turkey’s Foreign Ministry summoned the U.S. charge d’affaires for explanation after the embassy’s social media account briefly “liked” a post against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s nationalist ally.

Authorities harshly criticized the embassy after its official Twitter account appeared to express approval of a message by Ergun Babahan, who fled the country after he was accused of being a follower of Fethullah Gulen, a Pennsylvania-based cleric blamed by Turkey for masterminding a failed coup in 2016.

Babahan said “the people of Turkey should be ready for a political period without Devlet Bahceli."

The U.S. embassy said it acted in error and “unliked” the “unrelated post,” saying on Twitter that “we regret the mistake and apologize for any confusion.”

Babahan’s social media post came as rumors spread that Bahceli, the leader of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party and Erdogan’s close ally, had been hospitalized. Bahceli’s aides later said he’s in good health and Erdogan wished him well, in a speech on Saturday.

Erdogan joined an alliance with Bahceli’s nationalist party to win a referendum to change Turkey’s governance system to an executive presidency, and then secured victory in last year’s landmark general elections.

To contact the reporter on this story: Cagan Koc in Istanbul at ckoc2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Onur Ant at oant@bloomberg.net, ;Lin Noueihed at lnoueihed@bloomberg.net, Paul Abelsky, Bruce Stanley

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