Accra, July 13, GNA- Mr Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, says “terrorism does not have a nationality, ethnicity or religion” and called for concerted efforts from world leaders to fight it.
He said that had become necessary because it threatened the whole of humanity.
Mr Çavuşoğlu said no terrorist organisation could be classified as “useful” and called on the international community to stand in solidarity with Türkiye in the fight against terrorism, particularly threats from the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETO).
According to the Minster, FETO was responsible for the loss of hundreds of lives as well as other grave crimes against the Turkish people.
The Minister in a statement asserted that: “On the evening of July 15, 2016, the ‘Fethullahist Terrorist Organization’ (FETO) launched a bloody coup attempt against the people and the government of my country aimed to establish a radical, fundamentalist regime, loyal only to their ringleader Fetullah Gülen.”
“As FETO affiliated army units left their barracks to occupy key locations, such as the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul and fighter jets and attack helicopters bombed strategic targets, including the Parliament, Presidential compound, army and police headquarters; thousands of civilians took to the streets to stop this unprecedented heinous coup attempt,” the statement said.
“The plotters killed 251 innocent civilians and left thousands injured. On that night the Turkish people defended democracy with their lives. This heroic response was something the conspirators did not foresee.”
“FETO was established in the late 1960’s as a so-called ‘religious movement’ in the guise of promoting education and inter-religious dialogue and it managed to cover its malign intentions,” it said.
Mr Çavuşoğlu said: “The well-planned and wide-spread infiltration by FETO members and converts into the army, law enforcement, judiciary and numerous government institutions, including my Ministry, was carried out for decades clandestinely for an overarching plan, of which the final phase was unleashed on July 15, 2016.”
He said had the coup attempt succeeded, Turkiye’s democracy would have been affected and and fundamental rights and freedoms would have been suspended indefinitely, adding that “the nation would have fallen into the hands of an extremist government.”
FETO, he said, did not only control a significant portion of educational institutions, but also owned numerous financial institutions with their bank accounts fed by prominent FETO members in industry and commerce, as well as officials and members of the public.
Mr Çavuşoğlu said following the coup attempt of July 15, 2016, a resolute cleansing of the public sector, including government institutions and the military, as well as the private sector from all FETO affiliated persons and companies was initiated.
He said elsewhere in the world, just like Turkiye, an increasing number of governments understood the danger FETO also posed to them and were taking the necessary steps to fight it.
The nature and scope of Türkiye’s fight against FETO, he said, was no different than that exercised by other countries against organisations, which had terrorised officials and civilians alike, and endangered democratic values, fundamental rights and freedoms.
“Türkiye is doing what the respective countries in their fight against terrorism have done in the past. All procedures are in compliance with law,” he stressed.
GNA