Ankara – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continued to attack the West for supporting the failed coup attempt and the arrests that followed it. He accused the West of supporting terrorism.
At an event for foreign investors at the presidential palace in Ankara, Erdogan said: “The West is supporting terrorism and taking sides with coups. They have actors inside but the scenario of this coup was written abroad.”
“In some European airports, unfortunately there are ads that say ‘don’t go to Turkey, your trip would strengthen Erdogan,”’ he said, hinting to Austria. He added that he is an elected president and didn’t reach his position through a military coup.
Erdogan expressed regret that certain countries who he thought were friends didn’t support the government and sided with the coup.
“I am asking now, are they supporting terrorism or not? Is the West siding with democracy, or coups and terrorism? Unfortunately, the West is supporting terrorism, and siding with coups.”
Concerning the coup plotters and those who had been arrested, Erdogan said that they won’t feel sorry for the detainees because they threaten Turkey. He insisted that Turkey had zero tolerance for torture and said that Amnesty International is not aware of the violence done by coup plotters.
Erdogan even invited Amnesty to visit Turkey to check the reality of things and “see who did what.”
In his speech, Erdogan also said that the script for the coup was written outside. He added that this was not plotted inside of Turkey, the plotters acted inside Turkey according to “a scenario prepared outside.”
Erdogan wondered how can Turkey and the U.S. be strategic partners while Washington continues to harbor Fethullah Gulen who Turkey blames for orchestrating the coup attempt. He added that Gulen makes between 200 and 300 million dollars from schools run by his organizations.
He ensured the foreign investors that they won’t be involved in an emergency state, saying Turkey complies with the EU’s standards.
The Turkish President also announced that the Telecommunication Directorate (TIB) will be closed soon.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim discussed with main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu the decrees passed under the state of emergency following the July 15 failed coup. Yildrim said that he agreed with Kilicdaroglu on a plan that has received the consensus of all parties.
Kilicdaroglu declared he will drop all the charges he had filed against the Turkish President as soon as possible.
Yildrim also met at his office with Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli on Monday and discussed the reforms.
Yildirim told reporters afterwards: “The aim of passing a decree law based on the state of emergency is to eliminate the danger of a coup attempt and normalize politics.”
He added that on July 15, the country was on the verge of a disaster because of the failed attempt.
For his part, Bahceli said: “We conveyed our ideas on the decisions. Hopefully, the implementation of the state of emergency will continue successfully. Turkey will soon be saved from any kind of coup attempt.”
Turkish authorities detained a number of academics at the military academy in Ankara and issued a series of arrest warrants for doctors. The authorities also arrested 65 persons in Isparta and 14 others at Mersin police department.