Yet, the attempted coup against Erdogan and the following purge by the Turkish president highlighted security concerns over oil and gas shipments at this crucial hub.
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EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker questioned Ankara’s long-standing aspiration to join the EU.
On the issue of the economic fallout from the coup attempt, Albayrak said that up to now, Turkey has reassured the markets through confidence-building measures.
Turkey, a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member, previous year agreed to allow the U.S. to use its Incirlik airbase for bombing missions against the Islamic State over the border in Syria.
Erdogan reiterated his government’s stance on the possible restoration of capital punishment in an interview with German television station ARD broadcast on Monday. “They want the death penalty reintroduced”.
“Turkey and the U.S. have had friendly, amicable relations, allies and strategic partners for a very long time, and we do not believe that they are going to stand by the leader of this terrorist organisation”, Mr Yildirim said. “We can’t say, ‘No, that doesn’t interest us'”.
“It is impossible to deny that this [Gulenist] structure played a hand even in various incidents in recent years, not only the November 24 crisis [the 2015 downed Russian jet], but also Uludere [2011 bombing in Turkey’s southeast by Turkish fighter jets], maybe events that started the [2013] Gezi protests”, he added.
The Turkish parliament set up on Tuesday a commission to investigate the coup attempt, with the backing of all political parties.
NTV reported that among the 42 journalists subject to arrest warrants was well-known commentator and former parliamentarian Nazli Ilicak.
“There is unity of understanding among the party leaders to carry out work on drafting a new constitution. Small-scale constitutional changes could be done through consensus”, Yildirim said.
Also detained in the sweep was Halis Hanci, an alleged senior aide to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen – the reclusive spiritual leader whom Turkey accuses of having orchestrated the plot to overthrow Erdogan.
The government blames the uprising on followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric who lives in the United States and runs a global network of schools and foundations.
“The files pertaining to their involvement in this coup attempt have not been sent yet”.
European NATO allies have charged that the latest sweep further darkens the picture for press freedom in Turkey after Zaman, which was the biggest-selling daily newspaper, was raided by police and state administrators were brought in.
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In an op-ed in the New York Times, Gulen wrote that if members of his “Hizmet” (Service) network had been involved in the attempted coup they had betrayed his ideals, saying Erdogan’s accusations revealed “his systematic and risky drive towards one-man rule”.
