The European Union and the United States expressed alarm Monday with Turkey‘s response to a failed coup, telling the NATO member and EU aspirant that it must uphold democracy and human rights as it pursues the military officers and anyone else involved in the plot.

„This is no excuse to take the country away from fundamental rights and the rule of law, and we will be extremely vigilant on that,“ EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said at a joint news conference with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.