Turkey summoned the U.S ambassador to Ankara on Monday to protest the treatment of Turkish security officials in the United States during a visit by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last week, the foreign ministry said.
During Erdoğan's visit to Washington to meet U.S. President Donald Trump, supporters of the PKK and PYD terrorist organizations shouted racist slogans against Turkey and attacked Turkish citizens outside the Turkish ambassador's residence.
The Turkish president’s guards and other Turks at the scene intervened. Upon the intervention of the guards, the supporters of the terrorist organizations fled.
The Turkish foreign ministry said it summoned the U.S. ambassador to protest "aggressive and unprofessional actions" by U.S. security personnel to the security team of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.
"It has been formally requested that the U.S. authorities conduct a full investigation of this diplomatic incident and provide the necessary explanation," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
It said that lapses of security experienced during Erdoğan's stay in Washington were caused "by the inability of U.S. authorities to take sufficient precautions at every stage of the official programme," adding that incidents would not overshadow what was otherwise a "very successful" visit.
Police have said 11 people were injured, including a Washington police officer, and two people were arrested for assault. At least one of those arrested was a protester.
