The spat with Italy came as Erdogan launched a bitter attack on all of Turkey’s Western allies over his reaction to a July 15th attempt to overthrow him, which has led to a crackdown that has raised fears for the survival of democracy in the country.
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US-Turkey relations were additionally burdened by the Turkish demands for Gulen’s immediate extradition. He had previously said that the foreign states could have been involved, while not giving clues as to which countries might be responsible.
The European Union (EU) should welcome the fact that the military coup attempt in Turkey was prevented, TRT Haber news channel quoted Turkey’s Minister for EU Affairs Omer Celik as saying August 3.
A small protest against the visit was held near the US Embassy in Ankara, with demonstrators holding up placards reading “Dunford go home, send us Fethullhah”, and “Get out coup plotter Dunford”.
Fetullah Gulen, a 75-year-old Erdogan rival who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States for almost two decades, has denied any connection to the uprising.
“The [March] deal has been highly effective, leading to a sharp drop in the numbers of migrants arriving in Greece and easing the pressure on Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, for whom the influx of asylum-seekers into Germany past year turned into a big political headache”, Financial Times analyzed.
The government’s crackdown on those linked to the coup or Gulen continues and the latest was the rounding up of around 50 staff at the Gulhane Military Medical Academy including doctors.
With the strong evidence against Gulen and FETO, time is of the essence when it comes to his extradition, the president said.
In a rare show of public humility, Erdogan said he had failed to see the “true face” of Gulen, who cooperated closely with the Turkish strongman while he was mayor of Istanbul in the 1990s and after his Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002.
“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, adding that Turkey had intelligence indicating Gulen might leave for a third country. About 18,000 people have been detained or arrested, majority from the military, and authorities have said the purge will continue. Nearly half of Turkey’s generals were fired after the coup.
Critics say Erdogan is using the coup to neutralize his opponents as he strives to set up an executive presidency in the country.
The purge has set alarm bells ringing in the West, which has voiced growing concern over the scope of the operation, drawing a fierce response from Erdogan.
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Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said yesterday Turkey has taken over factories and shipyards that had been under control of the military general staff as part of a wide-ranging shake-up of the armed forces following last month’s abortive coup.
