Council of Europe urges Ankara to secure independence of judiciary

The Turkish leadership should think carefully about its next steps, given the close result in the country's referendum over granting new powers to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland said in a statement.

"The Turkish electorate has voted on the amendments to the Constitution. In view of the close result the Turkish leadership should consider the next steps carefully," Reuters cited Jagland as saying.

"It is of utmost importance to secure the independence of the judiciary in line with the principle of rule of law enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights. The Council of Europe, of which Turkey is a full member, stands ready to support the country in this process," he added.