Turkey calls for immediate restoration of constitution in Guinea

Turkey on Sunday condemned a "coup attempt" in Guinea and the detention of the country's President Alpha Conde, saying it views recent developments with "deep concern."

"Turkey is against all attempts aiming to topple elected Governments by illegal means," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, Guinean special forces staged a coup, dissolved the government and shut west African country's land and air borders. 

Ankara has called for restoration of the constitution and Conde's immediate release.

"Turkey will stand by the friendly and brotherly Republic of Guinea in this difficult and fragile period," the ministry added.

United Nations and African Union have also condemned the coup. 

READ MORE: Guinea army stages coup, detains President Conde

Turkey's relations with Guinea go back many years and are part of Ankara's effort to establish close diplomatic and economic ties with African countries. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Guinea in 2016 - an official trip that helped increase volume of trade between the countries. 

In 2018, President Conde visited Turkey to attend OIC Extraordinary Summit. 

A year later, he participated in the opening ceremony of the Camlica Mosque and another OIC conference. 

READ MORE: How Turkey built ties with the African continent over 23 years