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Turkey navigates tense relations with key allies

Posted: Aug 01, 2016 3:40 PM 

Erdogan has accused the United States of harboring Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania and who the president says masterminded the coup. Ankara has demanded Gulen's extradition, but Washington is asking for evidence of the cleric's involvement and says the extradition process must be allowed to run its course.

Ahead of the meetings, U.S. joint staff spokesman Capt. Greg Hicks said Dunford would "deliver messages condemning in the strongest terms the recent coup attempt."

Hicks said the general would also reaffirm "the importance of our enduring partnership for regional security," citing operations out of the Incirlik air base against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, and Turkey's contributions to NATO and the fight against the Islamic State group.

At a small protest held near the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, demonstrators held up placards reading "Dunford go home, send us Fethullhah," and "Get out coup plotter Dunford."

A statement from Yildirim's office said during talks, the Turkish prime minister told Dunford that his country wanted the U.S. to display its stance against the coup in a "clear and determined" way and renewed Turkey's expectation that Gulen and U.S.-based members of his movement be extradited to Turkey soon.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministry summoned Germany's charge d'affaires in Ankara to discuss a German court decision that prevented Erdogan from addressing via video link a Sunday rally in the German city of Cologne denouncing the coup attempt and showing support for Erdogan.

Kurtulmus said German courts normally address cases very slowly, "yet the German Constitutional Court prohibited our president addressing the rally via teleconference in less than 24 hours. . This is a clear double standard."

German officials insist there was no wrongdoing.

"The decision not to allow the broadcast was absolutely OK and also lawful," German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said Monday. 
European officials and human rights groups have expressed increasing concern with the Turkish crackdown, in which nearly 70,000 people have been suspended or dismissed from their jobs in sectors including the civil service, education, the judiciary, health care and the media. Authorities say they are suspected of involvement with Gulen's movement, which runs schools, charities, hospitals and businesses across the world.

About 3,000 officers suspected of involvement in the coup or of links to Gulen's movement have been discharged from the armed forces since the failed attempt and Defense Minister Fikri Isik told CNN Turk television in an interview Monday that the purges from the military would continue.

Turkey had also canceled this year's Aug. 30 Victory Day military parades because of the "extraordinary situation," the minister said.

Kurtulmus said anyone associated with Gulen's movement would be purged from the public sector and his government "will show no mercy" toward suspects linked to the coup.

"Citizens who don't have any relationship with this organization have nothing to worry about, they should rest easy nothing will happen to you, but those who do should fear," the deputy prime minister said. "Sorry, but everything has a price."


Cinar Kiper in Istanbul and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.


