WASHINGTON - The United States on Tuesday congratulated Turkish foreign minister Abdullah Gul on his election as president, saying Washington expected to work closely with him.
Gul was elected by the Turkish parliament on Tuesday, making him the secular republic's first head of state with an Islamist past.
"We welcome this exercise in Turkish democracy and I think it continues the course of democratic development in that country," said Tom Casey, a US State Department spokesman.
"As you know, we worked very closely with president-elect Gul during his tenure as foreign minister, we expect and continue to do so in his new capacity and congratulate him on his election," Casey told reporters.
Gul, who is deeply mistrusted by the secular establishment, won 339 votes in the 550-member parliament, well above the simple majority of 276 votes required in the decisive third round ballot.
Gul has repeatedly pledged that his priority during his seven-year term will be to uphold the separation of state and religion.
On the eve of Tuesday's vote, the head of the Turkish army warned that the secular system was under attack from "centers of evil seeking to systematically erode" it.
Asked to comment on the army's warning, Casey said, "We have full faith and confidence in Turkish democracy and we view this election as fully in keeping with democratic practice and principles in that country."
08/28/2007 15:01 GMT