Spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters in Berlin that the migrants deal is in the interest of both the European Union and Turkey, and that Germany expects Turkey to continue adhering to it.
Advertisement
Last month, Turkey and Israel formally reinstated diplomatic relations following a six-year freeze.
USA extraditing Pennsylvania-based preacher, Fetullah Gulen, to Turkey over his alleged involvement in Friday’s deadly coup attempt would be the “greatest sign of solidarity”, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Tuesday.
He said on Monday that he might have died if he had left Marmaris any later.
Earlier, government and military officials had put the fatalities in the anti-government camp at 104.
Authorities have since suspended or detained close to 20,000 soldiers, police, judges and civil servants.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters in Berlin Monday that the European Union is a “community of values, therefore the institution of the death penalty can only mean that such a country could not be a member”.
“We are the ones saying today rule of law has to be protected in the country”, she said. Any extradition request from Turkey, once submitted, would be evaluated under the terms of a treaty between the two countries, he added. She said Washington and Brussels agree on the need for Turkey to respect democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Yildirim said the justice ministry had sent a dossier to US authorities on Gulen, whose religious movement blends conservative Islamic values with a pro-Western outlook and who has a network of supporters within Turkey.
The European Union commissioner negotiating with Turkey on its accession bid believes the Turkish government is exploiting the failed coup to target internal opponents.
“The heaviest possible punishments will be given to those people who have links with the coup attempt. We will certainly support bringing the perpetrators of the coup to justice but we also caution against a reach that goes well beyond that”.
The statement was agreed by all 28 EU ministers, including new British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who campaigned successfully for Britons to vote to leave the bloc, attending his first EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.
Turkey has detained some 6,000 people.
In addition to its moves against private teachers, Turkey has already announced the firing of 15,200 workers at state schools, demanded the resignations of 1,577 university deans and halted all foreign assignments for state-employed academics.
Two police officers were killed in the ensuing gun battle and seven others injured.
Turkey vowed to root out allies of the US -based cleric it blames for an abortive coup last week, widening a purge of the army, police and judiciary on Tuesday to universities and schools, the intelligence agency and religious authorities.
“Members of Fethullah Gulen’s terrorist organisation who organised the attempt of a military coup in Turkey, are in no way distinguishable from ISIS or PKK terrorists”, Cavusoglu said at an event in Ankara. Akin Ozturk, who has been described as the ringleader of the foiled uprising. The Turkish military has been regularly hitting suspected PKK hideouts and position in Iraq since past year, but Wednesday’s strikes were the first since the failed coup.
Eight soldiers have sought asylum in neighbouring Greece and Turkey says they must be handed back or it will not help relations between the neighbours, which have always been uneasy.
The eight landed in Alexandroupolis Saturday after issuing a distress call and requesting permission for an emergency landing.
Saudi-owned broadcaster Al-Arabiya says Saudi authorities detained Turkey’s military attache to Kuwait while he was at the airport in the eastern Saudi city of Dammam.
Gulen and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were once allies, but had a falling out over 2013 corruption investigations in Turkey, which the Turkish leader blamed on Gulen.
Esayan also said that he hopes U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration will clarify the “unfortunate statement” and ease the tension in Turkey.
In a sign of global concern, a German official said a serious fissure had opened in Turkey and he feared fighting would break out within Germany’s large Turkish community.
Warplanes have patrolled Turkey’s skies following a failed coup, a sign that authorities fear the threat against the government is not yet over. He dismissed reports that any naval ships had gone missing since the abortive coup on Friday night. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government rules.
It is not still clear what the objective of the coup supporters is or what reaction the security forces stationed around the base will take if the tanks come out.
“The people have the opinion that these terrorists should be killed”, he said.
Advertisement
The state-run news agency, Anadolu, said Erdogan ordered the overnight patrol by F-16s.
