TEHRAN - The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned Norwegian Ambassador Vegard Ellefsen, following Norway’s decision to grant asylum to five Turkish nationals.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned Norwegian Ambassador Vegard Ellefsen, following Norway’s decision to grant asylum to five Turkish nationals, who previously served in NATO Brussels headquarters, spokesman for the ministry Huseyin Muftuoglu said, RIA Novosti reported.

Earlier in the day, Turkish media reported that the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration decided to grant political asylum to Turkish military servicemen, including a former military attache, after the applicants requested protection in fear of being persecuted by Ankara in connection with the failed coup attempt.

"The ministry has summoned the Ambassador of Norway, to whom we conveyed our reaction to the news that Norway decided to provide political asylum to the former Turkish military attache and four officers that worked at a NATO education center. Our ally’s support for the people that were called back to Turkey after the coup and are trying to abuse the political, social and economic capabilities of the host country is saddening and unacceptable," the spokesman’s statement read.

The spokesman added that Turkey will "continue to take measures" regarding the issue.

On July 16, 2016, a coup attempt took place in Ankara, leaving over 240 Turkish citizens killed and more than 2,000 injured. Turkish authorities suppressed the riot and accused the opposition leader Fethullah Gulen of masterminding the coup. The cleric, currently leaving in exile in the United States, denounced the allegations and condemned the coup.

(source: farsnews)