USA president Barack Obama expressed support for Turkey’s government and urged parties on all sides of the crisis to avoid destabilising the country and follow the rule of law.
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“Just a small group from Turkish armed forces stood up against our government. but we, the Turkish nation, stand together and repulse it back”, Gozde Kurt, a 16-year-old student at the rally in Istanbul, said Sunday morning.
Kerry, who spoke about Gulen during a visit to Luxembourg, said that no extradition request had been received.
In the short term, I believe this coup will strengthen Erdogan’s position, but over time the instability will intensify.
This handout file picture released on September 24, 2013 by Zaman Daily shows exiled Turkish Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen at his residence in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania.
“We fully anticipate that there will be questions raised about Mr. Gulen”, Kerry told reporters. “And obviously we would invite the government of Turkey, as we always do, to present us with any legitimate evidence that withstands scrutiny”. The country has been a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally since 1952 and, as it straddles the line between Europe and Asia, is an important foothold in the region for the United States.
The Turkish media on Saturday cited two military figures as leading the coup attempt. We’ve gathered the important facts and what to know about why Turkey is so important and what was at risk last night.
“There are a lot of generals and colonels that were detained but those who want to set the Turkish people and the Turkish military against each other, let us not fall prey to their plot”.
In a statement issued after a meeting with his national security advisers, Obama also urged those in Turkey to show restraint and avoid violence or bloodshed.
Gulen is understood to maintain significant support among some members of the military and mid-level bureaucrats. Those later turned into schools that form a key part of his organization, called Hizmet or “the service”, helping to train teachers and volunteers for colleges run by the group around the world, according to the book. Over the last three years, Erdogan had been tightening his grip on power, stifling debate while fighting accusations of corruption.
“The ramifications of today’s events remain uncertain, but given Turkey’s significance as a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally and member – albeit an unconstructive one – of the worldwide anti-ISIS coalition, a coup could have widespread implications”, Misztal said.
He said that “government should be won through a process of free and fair elections, not force”. “I pray to God for Turkey, for Turkish citizens, and for all those now in Turkey that this situation is resolved peacefully and quickly”. In the aftermath of the coup, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan blamed the conflict on followers of Fethullah Gulen, a cleric who draws on a traditionally moderate branch of Islam called Sufism.
She said the incident left her frightened, adding that she would be changing her return flight arrangements to ensure that she does not transit in Turkey.
Cook says U.S. Central Command is adjusting flight operations in the anti-IS campaign to minimize the effect of the closure of Turkish airspace.
The uprising comes at a time when Turkey is playing a key role in the USA -led global coalition against ISIS, or the Islamic State, active along Turkey’s southern borders with Iraq and Syria.
“It is not possible to have any negative developments regarding the Incirlik base”, he said. “We condemn any military intervention in domestic politics of Turkey”, the statement says.
The prime minister’s officer said at least 161 civilians and at least 20 coup plotters were killed.
Among those detained for questioning were the commander of Turkey’s second army, Gen. Adem Huduti, and a few other top aides in the eastern city of Malatya, Anadolu said.
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“I had told you (Obama) that these people were in preparation for a coup”. “So it surprised everyone”. In a press conference the day after the attempted coup, Kerry said that it “does not appear to be a very brilliantly planned or executed event”, The New York Times reported. The Black Sea is to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Turkey shares borders with eight countries: The Arab Republic, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Iraq, Iran and Syria.
