Speaking after a meeting of the National Security Council in Ankara lasting almost five hours, he said the state of emergency was needed “to remove this threat as soon as possible”.
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“While there has been global and unanimous support for the democratically elected government of Turkey in reaction to the military coup, the measures introduced today go in the wrong direction”.
“We will remain within a democratic parliamentary system”. “We will dig them up by their roots”.
A state of emergency has never been declared nationwide although it was declared in Turkey’s restive, Kurdish-dominated southeast between 1987 and 2002. Lawmakers can sanction a state of emergency for a period of up to six months. He said any extradition request from Turkey, once submitted, would be evaluated under the terms of a treaty between the two countries and would not be made by Obama.
“The owners of the squares are not the tanks”.
“I’m sorry but this parallel terrorist organisation will no longer be an effective pawn for any country”, Mr Yildirim said.
“Will Turkish-US relations come under – or be allowed to come under – increasing strain as Erdogan advances his crackdown?”.
Erdogan has said he wants to “cleanse” all state offices of people linked to the uprising.
“Europe does not have the right to criticize this decision”, Erdogan added, apparently anticipating expressions of concern from the European Union, which has become increasingly critical of Turkey’s rights record and has urged restraint as Ankara purges its state institutions since the abortive coup.
The crackdown has been extraordinary in scope, taking in not just soldiers but also judges, prosecutors and lawyers.
Over 20,000 people have been dismissed from their jobs in state education and a similar number in the private sector have been stripped of their licences.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks after an emergency meeting of the government in Ankara, Turkey, late Wednesday, July 20, 2016.
At least 290 people were reported to have died in the failed coup.
“Does he have the authority to make these declarations about my person?”
Steinmeier said Thursday that it’s important that “the rule of law, a sense of proportion and commensurability are preserved” and that it’s in Turkey’s interest to “keep the state of emergency only for the duration that is absolutely necessary and then immediately end it”.
Turkey accuses Gulen of running a “terror group” and has stepped up pressure on Washington to extradite him, sending several “dossiers” it says are packed with evidence about his alleged involvement.
Earlier in the day, he noted that the recent coup attempt may not be fully over yet, and that foreign countries may have been involved in the attempt.
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The Turkish government under Erdogan has now arrested, fired or suspended a total of more than 50,000 people in its post-coup d’etat attempt crackdown.
