Continuing his wide-sweeping reforms of all state institutions, Mr Erdogan announced Turkey’s intelligence operation was to be split into separate units handling foreign espionage and domestic or counter-intelligence.
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Turkey’s justice minister has sent a document to the United States seeking the arrest of cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania and whom Ankara accuses of instigating an attempted coup on July 15.
“What kind of strategic partners are we”, Erdogan asked, “that you can still host someone whose extradition I have asked for?”
Turkey needs to take on those responsible for the failed coup last month, but this needs to be done in conformity with the rule of law and human rights, the head of human rights body the Council of Europe said on Wednesday. Authorities say they are suspected of involvement with Gulen’s movement, which runs schools, charities, hospitals and businesses across the world.
During the same interview, Erdogan also attacked the European Union, and Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, in particular, questioning whether the West was on the side of the putschists or democracy. He said that Turkey had previously also handed Germany a list of over 4,000 wanted militants without having any response.
Kurtulmus said German courts normally address cases very slowly, “yet the German Constitutional Court prohibited our president addressing the rally via teleconference in less than 24 hours. So they actually infiltrated nerve endings of our state”, he said, adding that all data and indicators point to FETO as being behind the crisis. “It was a great disappointment to us”.
Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz said Friday that the US was one of the first countries to condemn the failed coup, and noted a successful one would have put American troops serving in Turkey at risk.
“We have not received the support we were expecting from our friends, neither during nor after the coup attempt”, he said.
When it was allied with Erdogan’s government in the past, the Gulen movement was believed to have been behind a series of crackdowns on pro-secular figures as well as military officers accused at the time of plotting a coup. Many convictions have been overturned.
“They requested certain information following our first letter; we provided answers to the question “why is it urgent”,” Anadolu quoted Bozdag as telling reporters in parliament.
“Turkey is such an important European country”, Jagland said.
U.S. President Barack Obama said on July 22 that a decision on whether to extradite Gulen would be the result of a long-standing, legal process. “I hope US officials consider this request with sensitivity”.
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“The cleaning up of members of the Fethullah Gulen terrorist network from the state, armed forces and police will bring dynamism and the government will speed up reforms”, Elvan said.
