The United States should display “a clear and decisive stance” against the failed coup, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told a senior US military official in Ankara on Monday.
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In a sign of efforts to shore up relations, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford, visited Turkey and met with his Turkish counterpart Gen. Hulusi Akar, who was briefly held captive by the rebels during the coup, as well as with Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.
“Send us Fethullah”, a reference to USA -based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who the Turkish government accuses of plotting the coup attempt and wants sent back for trial. He delivered messages condemning the coup and stressing the importance of Turkey’s contributions to the fight against the Islamic State group and as a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally.
European officials have expressed concern at the scope of Turkey’s post-coup crackdown, while Ankara has accused European nations of not standing firmly in solidarity with Turkey against the coup bid it says was masterminded by US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. Organizers instead read out a message from Erdogan thanking people with Turkish origins in Germany for their moral support during the coup attempt.
Also on Monday, 167 generals were reappointed by the defence ministry.
“There must definitely be some among them who were subjected to unfair procedures”, he said in comments published by state-run Anadolu news agency.
Apart from apprehending those who directly participated in the putsch, the government has sought to crack down on those suspected of being members of Gulen’s movement and has been bringing the military under increasing civilian control.
He told CNN Turk television on Monday that the fugitives were believed to still be in Turkey.
Authorities have continued to search for army personnel suspected of participation in the failed coup.
Turkey also canceled this year’s August 30 Victory Day military parades because of the “extraordinary situation”, the minister said. Thousands more have been detained and almost 70,000 people have been suspended or dismissed from their jobs in the education, media, health care, military and judicial sectors.
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Echoing his tone, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said: “If there are any mistakes, we will correct them”.
