At a joint news conference Friday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said the two neighboring nations also meant to boost trade ties. More than 16,000 people have been formally arrested – majority soldiers – while 5,000 others are in custody pending investigations.
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“Although I have always had reservations about political Islam I also supported Mr Erdogan and the AKP (the ruling Justice and Development Party) at the start, when big democratic reforms were launched”.
Yasitli is reportedly the overall military attache and Tunc the naval attache but their accreditations in Athens are said to have been canceled.
The meeting came after Zarif held talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu and attended a joint press conference with him.
Foreign Minister Zarif also said Iran and Turkey should increase cooperation on tourism.
Turkey accuses Fethullah Gulen, a cleric exiled in the USA, of orchestrating the failed putsch and wants him extradited, which Washington has refused to do without evidence.
“There certainly has been a lot of turmoil, but we certainly condemn in the strongest possible terms the attempted coup”, James said.
Erdogan renewed Turkish commitment to a EU-Turkey refugee deal signed earlier this year, but during the interview he also emphasized that the future of the agreement would depend on the EU’s concrete steps to fulfill its promises made to Ankara.
The official said 5,685 people remain in detention, waiting to see a judge. TIME HAS RUN OUT ” There are those who have escaped. There have been escapees among our diplomats as well. Turkey has complained of a lack of solidarity from Western allies who have raised concerns over Turkey’s massive crackdown on alleged supporters of a movement led by US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. Interior Minister Efkan Ala was quoted on Thursday as saying nearly 76,100 civil servants have now been suspended.
“Some of them escaped by sea, some of them escaped by air”, Cavusoglu said, adding that two of the diplomats based in Bangladesh fled to the United States.
Turkish officials also believe a naval officer working in the USA may be seeking asylum there after he supposedly left his ID and badges at his base near the end of July.
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation members continue to voice concern over the damage that the post-coup purges are doing to the Turkish military.
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One Turkish official said the foreign ministry sent instructions to Turkish diplomatic missions around the world where those suspected of links to the plotters were thought to be working, ordering them back to Ankara as part of the investigations. Last week, an arrest warrant was issued in Turkey for Gulen. “These were high-ranking staff members”. “We have no right to show pity toward those who showed no mercy to their country or people”.
