A defiant Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan denounced the West's "crusader mentality" on Monday after European monitors criticised a referendum in which he won sweeping new powers. Sunday's vote ended all debate on forging a stronger presidency, said Erdogan, who argues that concentration of power is needed to prevent instability. Trump and Erdogan also agreed on the importance of holding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accountable for the chemical attack and discussed the campaign against the Islamic State, the statement said. Germany, home to several million Turks, said it was up to Erdogan himself to heal the rifts that the vote had exposed. Relations with Europe were strained during the referendum campaign when Germany and the Netherlands barred Turkish ministers from holding rallies.

Source: The Star April 18, 2017 00:56 UTC