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Govt still reviewing Turkey travel advice

The government is yet to decide whether it will change its travel advice for Turkey after the nation's President Recep Erdogan made inflammatory remarks.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Erdogan's office claims his incendiary address was taken out of context. (AAP)

Australia's travel advice for Turkey remains under review despite diplomatic tensions cooling after the nation's president made provocative comments.

Turkish-Australian relations plummeted after Turkey's Preisdent Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened at an election rally to send Australians with anti-Muslim views home in coffins, like their grandfathers

Mr Erdogan was referencing the WWI battle at Gallipoli, in which thousands of Australian and New Zealand soldiers died fighting the Turks.

But Prime Minister Scott Morrison - who originally called the comments "highly offensive" - believes the leader has "moderated" his views about Australians after a series of high-level crisis meetings.

"It's my intention to break any cycle of recklessness and work through the issues practically," he told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday.

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"To register in the strongest and clearest of terms the offence that was taken - I believe rightly, by those comments yesterday - but now to work constructively."

The Turkish president's office claimed his incendiary address was taken out of context.

"As he was giving the speech at the Canakkale (Gallipoli) commemoration, he framed his remarks in a historical context of attacks against Turkey, past and present," a senior aide said.

The prime minister summoned the Turkish ambassador to Parliament House on Wednesday to explain the remarks and warned all options were in the table in Australia's response.

Australian diplomats will also attend an emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Turkey on Friday to discuss the terror attacks in New Zealand.

Meanwhile, official travel advice for Turkey is still under review, with thousands of Australians planning to attend Anzac Day services.

Australia's travel advice for Turkey is already set at "exercise a high degree of caution" due to the threat of terrorism.


2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



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