2 yıl önce

FETO terror group 'threatens humanity as a whole' – Turkish FM

Marking the sixth anniversary of failed coup attempt in Türkiye, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the Turkish people’s resilience in defending democracy that night "was something the conspirators failed to foresee."

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All countries must make united and determined response to FETO terrorist threat, says Mevlut Cavusoglu 6 years after defeated coup attempt by terror group.

Marking Türkiye's Democracy and National Unity Day on the sixth anniversary of the July 15, 2016 failed coup attempt by the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO), Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said the terrorist group’s main objective was to establish a "radical, fundamentalist regime loyal only to their ringleader, Fetullah Gulen."

"The plotters killed 251 innocent civilians and left thousands injured. On that night, the Turkish people defended democracy with their lives," Cavusoglu wrote in an op-ed for Ta Nea, a daily in neighbouring Greece, on Friday.

Cavusoglu said the Turkish people’s resilience in defending democracy that night "was something the conspirators failed to foresee."

"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," he said, stressing that six years ago on that night, thousands of Turkish people took to the streets "to stop this unprecedented, heinous coup attempt.”

FETO orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Türkiye in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 injured.

FETO is behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

Threatening humanity

Urging the international community to stand in solidarity with Türkiye in the fight against terrorism, Cavusoglu stressed that "terrorism has no nationality, ethnicity, or religion."

"This menace threatens humanity as a whole. Therefore, the response to this threat must be united and determined," he said.

With FETO terrorists responsible for the "the loss of hundreds of lives as well as other grave crimes against the Turkish people … no state has the luxury to differentiate between terrorists, and no terrorist group can be classified as ‘useful’," he stressed.

'Democracy would not have existed in Türkiye'

In his op-ed, Cavusoglu said that if the FETO terror group had ever succeeded in its attempt to overthrow Türkiye’s legitimate government, "democracy would not have existed and fundamental rights and freedoms would have been suspended indefinitely."

"The nation would have fallen into the hands of an extremist government," he warned.

Thanks to the hundreds of people who protected Turkish democracy at the cost of their lives, after the coup attempt the Turkish state cleansed government institutions and the military as well as the private sector of FETO-affiliated individuals and firms.

While many prominent coup conspirators were apprehended, others "escaped justice and found refuge in foreign countries," Cavusoglu said.

More governments understand FETO danger

Noting that the Turkish government has been requesting the extradition of FETO ringleader Gulen from the US, where he currently resides, as well as the extradition of other FETO members from European countries, Cavusoglu said that "unfortunately, these requests have not been fulfilled yet."

However, he stressed that "a growing number of governments understand the danger this terrorist organisation also poses to them and are taking the necessary steps."

Not just in Türkiye but also in many other countries, FETO members are being cleared from the public and private sectors, and many schools abroad affiliated with the terror group have been transferred to Türkiye’s Maarif Foundation, he added.

"The nature and scope of Türkiye’s fight against FETO is no different than that exercised by other countries against organisations which terrorised officials and civilians alike and endangered democratic values and fundamental rights and freedoms," he said.

Noting that all procedures used in the fight against FETO are "in compliance with the law," he highlighted Türkiye's determination in the fight against the terror group.

SOURCE: AA