The US welcomes the December 9 release of Turkish MP Mustafa Balbay following a ruling by Turkey’s Constitutional Court, State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said Wednesday.
The Republican People’s Party (CHP) MP had been imprisoned for more than four years as part of the case into the Ergenekon gang which allegedly aimed to topple the elected Turkish government.
“We welcome his release and are pleased to see him take up his official duties in parliament,” she said.
Psaki added, “we evaluate the issue of due process in our human rights report every year and are concerned as it relates to Turkey."
-State Department welcomes Davutoglu's trip to Armenia
Psaki also voiced support for Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s planned trip to Armenia, and urged Ankara and Yerevan to normalize relations.
“We welcome his planned trip and hope his visit will provide an opportunity for dialogue between regional leaders. We continue to urge both Turkey and Armenia to ratify the normalization protocols and to pursue tangible steps, such as opening the border, that can help strengthen ties between neighbors and create jobs and opportunity for the people of both countries,” said Psaki.
She added that the State Department is "hopeful they'll be able to move the process forward.”
