US Vows to ‘Continue to Promote the Rule of Law’ in Turkey

State Department spokesman Ned Price. Reuters
State Department spokesman Ned Price. Reuters
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US Vows to ‘Continue to Promote the Rule of Law’ in Turkey

State Department spokesman Ned Price. Reuters
State Department spokesman Ned Price. Reuters

The US vowed Monday to keep promoting human rights in Turkey, while also calling for cooperation, after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to expel the American ambassador over his advocacy.

"We will continue to promote the rule of law and respect for human rights globally," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

"We believe the best way forward is through cooperation on issues of mutual interest and we know that we have many issues of mutual interest with Turkey."

Erdogan threatened to expel the ambassadors of the United States and nine other Western nations after they issued a joint statement for a "just and speedy" resolution in the case of Osman Kavala, a civil society leader who has been jailed without a conviction for four years.

Erdogan walked back the threat on Monday as the tensions caused economic havoc, including a sharp deterioration in the value of the lira.

The Turkish leader declared victory, saying that the envoys had backtracked by issuing statements saying that they respected Article 41 of the Vienna Conventions which obliges diplomats to respect the laws and regulations of the countries where they serve.

"What we issued was to underscore that the statement that we issued with nine other embassies on Oct. 18, that very simply, it was consistent with Article 41 of the Vienna Convention," he said.

"The principles that we have put forward in the context of Turkey, and also around the world, those are principles that we are committed to."



54 Migrants Rescued from Mediterranean Oil Platform

FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
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54 Migrants Rescued from Mediterranean Oil Platform

FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa

Over 50 migrants were headed to the Italian island of Lampedusa Sunday after a charity ship rescued them from an abandoned oil platform in the Mediterranean, where one woman gave birth.

The vessel Astral, operated by the Spain-based NGO Open Arms, rescued the 54 people overnight, the group said in a statement.

The migrants had been trapped on the oil platform for three days after their rubber boat shipwrecked following their departure from Libya on Tuesday, Open Arms said.

On Friday, one of the migrants gave birth to a boy, while another woman had given birth days before. Two other young children were among the group, Open Arms said, according to AFP.

Later Sunday, the charity said that, following the rescue of those on the oil platform, the Astral came upon another 109 people, including four people in the water.

That group, which included 10 children, had also departed from Libya, it said.
Open Arms said they provided life jackets to the migrants before they were rescued by another charity ship, the Louise Michel, which is sponsored by street artist Banksy.

The Louise Michel, a former French navy vessel, was transporting the migrants to a safe port in Sicily, Open Arms said.

It is not unusual for migrants crossing the Mediterranean on leaky and overcrowded boats to seek refuge on offshore oil platforms.

As of June 1, some 23,000 migrants had reached Italy by sea this year, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).