Turkish officials also met in Ankara with the top USA military commander in the first direct talks since the failed coup, with Washington under pressure to extradite the Islamic preacher, who has lived in self-imposed exile since 1999 – from his leafy compound in Pennsylvania.
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In response to the coup, the government has declared a three-month state of emergency and has detained more than 18,000 people, the majority of them from the military, as well as suspended more than 50,000 others from their jobs, mostly on suspicion of being followers of Mr. Gulen. Ankara has demanded Gulen’s extradition over the failed coup, which left 271 people dead.
Gulen was once an Erdogan ally until ties soured several years ago.
The US is reported to believe there is not enough evidence linking him to the coup plot to grant Turkey’s request, but no decision has yet been made.
Erdogan has also strongly criticized U.S. military officials for comments he said implied that the detention of Turkish military officers as part of the coup investigation could affect the country’s fight against the Islamic State group.
While in Ankara, Dunford was taken on a tour of the Parliament building, which was bombed during the night of July 15. “We have not received the support we were expecting from our friends, neither during nor after the coup attempt”, he said. Turkey has accused the United States of harboring Gulen, who has denied any knowledge of the attempt to overthrow the government.
On Sunday, some 50,000 activists took part in a rally in support of Erdogan and in protest against a recent Turkish coup attempt in Cologne.
Hours before the demonstration, Germany’s constitutional court banned an application to show live speeches from Turkey by politicians including Erdogan, amid fears that political tensions in Turkey could spill over into Germany. A message from Erdogan was read out instead.
The top German court ruled against the live link amid concerns that political tensions in Turkey could spill over into Germany, home to Europe’s largest Turkish diaspora.
Turkish foreign ministry sources said the envoy was summoned to “strongly express our disappointment” over the ban on a popularly elected leader from addressing the rally and called the German approach “unacceptable”. “This is a clear double standard”.
Sunday’s presidential decree puts the military commands directly under the defense ministry, puts all military hospitals under the authority of the health ministry, and also expands the Supreme Military Council – the body that makes decisions on military affairs and appointments – to include Turkey’s deputy prime ministers and its justice, foreign and interior ministers.
Since the coup bid, more than 60,000 people in the military, judiciary, civil service and education have been detained, suspended or placed under investigation, leading to concern among North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies about the scale of the purges.
“For America to prove it is not behind the coup, there is only one thing to do – deliver [Gulen] to Turkey”, Gokcek said.
Since the failed putsch Mr Erdogan has targeted people suspected of links to those involved.
The arrests in the southwestern Mugla province came ahead of a meeting scheduled later Monday between Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the U.S.Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has arrived in Turkey to visit and speak to US personnel stationed at Incirlik Air Base, Joint Staff spokesman Navy Capt. Greg Hicks said in a statement issued today”, the statement said.
More than 1,700 military personnel were dishonourably discharged last week for their role in the putsch, which saw a faction of the military commandeer tanks, helicopters and warplanes in an attempt to topple the government. “These are undisguised double standards”, Kurtulmus told a press conference. “Sorry, but everything has a price”.
What is Turkey’s role in North Atlantic Treaty Organisation?
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Turkey, a key member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation military alliance, is seen as vital in the fight against IS jihadists.
