Turkey’s president on Friday slammed the United States for not standing firmly against a failed military coup and accused it of harboring the man he says was the plot’s mastermind, as a government crackdown in the coup’s aftermath strained Turkey’s ties with key allies.
Advertisement
“Instead of thanking this country which repelled a coup attempt, you take the side of the coup plotters”.
“The putschist (Gülen) is already in your country, you are looking after him. We will not play your game!” said Erdogan. “You can never deceive my people”.
“Know your place!” Erdogan told Votel, using one of his favourite expressions of anger. “Turkey will not be duped”.
The deadly July 15 rebellion unsuccessfully tried to unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has since launched a radical purge against anyone suspected of complicity. “We feel that talk and speculation along those lines is not particularly constructive”.
Mr Erdogan’s chief adviser then followed up with an assessment that the coup was triggered by Turkey’s warming relations with the Kremlin: “Without doubt”, Cemil Ertem wrote in the Milliyet newspaper, Turkish efforts to resolve regional conflicts and fix relations with Russian Federation triggered the coup attempt.
“Any reporting that I had anything to do with the recent unsuccessful coup attempt in Turkey is unfortunate and completely inaccurate”, Votel said, according to the statement from U.S. Central Command.
Accusations by Erdogan and other government officials of direct involvement by the USA military and intelligence agencies, or retired military personnel, have become commonplace in the days since the attempted July 15 coup.
The American general noted that Turkey has been “an extraordinary and vital partner in the region for many years”. “We appreciate Turkey’s continuing cooperation and look forward to our future partnership in the counter-ISIL fight”.
“Erdogan’s ongoing purge of newspapers, academics, teachers and judges has nothing to do with Turkey’s security and everything to do with blocking any opposition to his increasingly authoritarian rule”, he said in a statement to the Lib Dem voice blog.
Secretary of State John Kerry said Turkey must provide evidence of Gülen’s involvement for a USA judge to consider any extradition request. Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said the extradition is “a very legal technical process”. Dozens of media organizations, mostly linked to Gulen, were ordered to close Wednesday night.
The moves represent a further tightening of government control in the country.
Ninety-nine colonels have been promoted to generals and admirals, although the chief of staff, General Hulusi Akar – who was held hostage during the coup attempt – stayed in his post along with the heads of the navy, land and air forces.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu defended the detention of reporters, saying it was necessary to distinguish between coup plotters and those “who are engaged in real journalism”.
Advertisement
Kilic said that’s not the case.
