Turkish Prime Minister and the leader of Turkey’s ruling party, the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Binali Yildirim gestures as he speaks during an AK Party’s group meeting at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) in Ankara, on August 16, 2016. Fethullah Gulen denied any allegation.
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Mevlut Cavusoglu’s comments are made one month after the failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan alleges Gulen has built a network of schools, charities and businesses in Turkey and overseas over the decades in order to infiltrate the state and create a “parallel structure” with which to take over the country.
“The German government can not publicly designate the godfather of terrorism Erdogan as a partner, while internally warning about Turkey as a hub for terrorism”, said Sevim Dagdalen, a lawmaker and member of the Linke party.
Ankara summoned the Austrian charge d’affaires on Saturday over an “indecent report” about Turkey that appeared on a news ticker operated by an Austrian newspaper at Vienna’s global airport, an official from the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Sunday. “That is an impartial and fair trial”, Yildirim said.
Turning to Europe, Erdogan said if what Turkey faced had taken place in the West, “they would both introduce capital punishment and declare a non-stop state of emergency”.
On Tuesday, police in Istanbul launched simultaneous raids on 44 companies suspected of providing financial support to Gulen’s movement while authorities issued warrants to detain 120 company executives, Anadolu reported.
The suspects are accused of financing Gulen’s activities.
Erdogan has vowed to eradicate businesses, charities and schools linked to Gulen, calling them “terror organisations” and “nests of terror”.
Mr Erdogan accuses Mr Gulen of harnessing an extensive network of schools, charities and businesses, built up in Turkey and overseas over decades, to infiltrate state institutions and build a ” parallel structure” that aimed to take over the country.
“It is a scandal”, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said, stressing the efforts of the Turkish government to prevent and fight against child abuse.
Since the coup, more than 35,000 people have been detained, of whom 17,000 have been placed under formal arrest, and tens of thousands more suspended.
Turkey blames the cleric, Fethullah Gulen, for the July 15 failed putsch and wants the United States to extradite him.
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The eight men – two commanders, four captains and two sergeants – were given a month’s extension for their asylum requests last month.
