(VOVworld) - Top European officials have reacted to the recent referendum in Turkey by calling on Ankara to choose its next steps carefully and seek broader consensus in implementing constitutional reforms.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Photo: AFP/ Getty Image)

Turkey held a referendum on a package of constitutional changes on Sunday. The European Council’s Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland said with 51.5 percent of supporting votes, Turkish leaders should take into consideration of the importance to secure the independence of the judiciary in line with the principle of rule of law enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights.

Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said the referendum results showed the division within Turkey and warned that cooperation between Turkey and the EU could be more complicated. Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen expressed his respect for the decision of the majority of Turkish but showed his concern about the content of the revised constitution.