Turkey’s EU Minister Omer Celik has described U.S. Central Command chief’s recent remarks about the purge of Turkish military officers involved in the July 15 coup attempt as “totally wrong” and “incompatible” with strategic, military and regional realities.
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Yesterday Mr Erdogan accused Mr Votel of siding with Turkey’s coup plotters, a day after the general reportedly commented that the country’s turmoil could downgrade military cooperation with Washington.
Turkish government says the July 15 coup attempt was carried out by the Gulen-led Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), martyring 246 people and injuring more than 2,100 others.
The diplomatic strain is largely over the US-based Muslim cleric Fehullah Gulen whom the Turkish government holds was the mastermind behind the coup and has put pressure on the U.S. to extradite.
The general said he was concerned that the coup’s aftermath “will have an impact on the operations that we do. This is a known fact”, Erdogan said.
Amnesty International has called for immediate access to prisoners after the coup a week ago which sparked a brutal crackdown and a three-month state of emergency.
But Mr Erdogan snarled that the U.S. official should “know [his] place”, adding: “Who are you?” A senior Turkish official described the purges as “dishonorable discharge”.
Turkey has blamed the attempt on a faction within the military loyal to the Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania but has a wide following in Turkey. He has denied any involvement.
The White House flatly denied Erdogan’s claim on Friday.
The US generally tries to avoid criticizing Turkey, which has the second-largest military in North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and is a crucial ally in the fight against ISIS.
Western governments and human rights groups have condemned the coup, but they have also expressed concern over the scale and depth of the purges, anxious about the President’s intentions.
German Chancellor Angelica Merkel also weighed in on Erdogan’s purges Thursday, saying while “it is right and important to go after the plotters with the means available”, the scale of the dismissals is of concern. “We appreciate Turkey’s continuing cooperation and look forward to our future partnership in the counter-ISIL fight”, Votel said, referring to the Islamic State group. He also said he saw “positive change” in the attitude of the United States towards Ankara’s request to extradite the cleric to Turkey.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in Ankara that the notion the consequences of the coup would undermine the armed forces in the fight against IS were “ridiculous” and “unfortunate”.
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Twenty-one journalists are appearing in court in Istanbul after being detained as part of a sweeping crackdown following Turkey’s failed military coup.
