Government welcomes peaceful elections in Turkey

The German government welcomed on Monday the fact that elections in Turkey were peaceful and said an outright election win for the ruling AK Party was to be respected, according to government spokespeople.

"We welcome the fact that yesterday's parliamentary elections were peaceful," German government spokesman Steffen Seibert told a regular government news conference.

He added that Turkey must now tackle the challenges it faces, including fighting Islamic State, the conflict with the Kurds and dealing with the consequences of the Syria crisis among others.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry added: "We take note of the result of the election with respect."