Turkey says condemns European rights body decision to put it on notice, vows to review ties

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, April 17, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/Files

ANKARA (Reuters) - The Turkish foreign ministry on Tuesday said it strongly condemned the "unjust decision" of a European rights body to put it on a monitoring watchlist, adding that Ankara was left with no choice but to reconsider its relations with the body. "Deciding to re-open the monitoring procedure on Turkey... under the guidance of malicious circles at the PACE is a disgrace to this organ, which claims to be the cradle of democracy," the ministry said in a statement, adding that xenophobia and Islamophobia were "spreading with violence" across Europe. The Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) has put Turkey on a monitoring watchlist, citing concerns over what they say is the stifling of dissent and rights violations under President Tayyip Erdogan as he concentrates power. (Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Humeyra Pamuk)