Thursday 25 / April / 2024
Muscat: In the wake of the developing situation in Turkey, the nation's ambassador to Oman, His Excellency Uğur Doğan, has spoken out about the recent events. Here is his interview in full:
“On the evening of July 15th, a faction of the Turkish Armed Forces attempted to stage a coup in various cities in Turkey, particularly in the capital Ankara, and the largest city, Istanbul.
It was understood in a short time that this was a terrorist campaign. The perpetrators fired at their own people, stabbed their commanders and bombed the National Parliament and office of the Presidency.
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From the very beginning, the command chain and vast majority of the Turkish Armed Forces stood up against the coup attempt. It was merely some elements of the Air Forces, Gendarmerie and armoured units that joined the violent conspiracy. Both the police and public prosecutors immediately took necessary measures to foil the attempt.
Above all, it was the Turkish nation who thwarted the plot. They displayed a historic solidarity, as they took to the streets and remained defiant. They stood bravely in front of the tanks and reclaimed their democratic rights.
The terrorists tried to broadcast their message by taking over studios of the state TV (TRT) and raiding private media outlets. Yet, the plotters’ attempt to control media did not last long. It must be noted that the Turkish media also played a key role in subsiding the coup attempt.
Throughout the process, all the political parties and members of the Turkish Grand National Assembly stood firmly by democracy, democratic politics, democratic institutions and the Constitution. A Joint Declaration in defence of democracy was issued during the extraordinary meeting of the General Assembly on the 16th of July.
During the operations held against the terrorist group, more than 7,500 individuals (6,038 of whom are members of the armed forces) have been detained, so far,while 218 have been arrested. Also, 24 coup plotters are now identified as dead and 50 coup plotters wounded. The operations continue, as more evidence has been learned from those who were captured.
Unfortunately, 246 of our citizens were killed and more than 1400 wounded. Sixty of the dead are police officers, three military personnel and 145 civilians.
The efforts to bring down the coup plotter terrorist gang gained momentum after the 15 July events. In this context, the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors has decided to dismiss 2,745 judges and prosecutors across the country. Till now, 8,777 members of the Interior Ministry of Turkey, including police officers, have been suspended from their offices.
A group of 8 involved in the coup attempt fled to Greece onboard a helicopter that they stole. Necessary steps have been taken for the return of the suspects and the helicopter. The helicopter was returned and we look forward to the expulsion of the eight Turks from Greece as soon as possible.
We have solid information that his coup attempt was staged, in no uncertain terms, by the Fethullah Gülen Terrorist Organisation (FETÖ). Our Government has been constantly exposing the real motives of this terrorist group and its leader, Fethullah Gülen, to all allies and partners. The failed coup is the latest criminal act revealing the dangers posed by FETÖ.
We call upon our partners and allies to take all possible measures to prevent the activities of this group on their soil.
Our President, Prime Minister, Government, Members of Turkish Grand National Assembly and the Turkish people, together defeated this coup attempt and stood by democracy and rule of law.
The terrorists will be punished, in accordance with the law. However, despite all our efforts and very transparent media reporting, we are extremely frustrated by certain distorted comments and spinning by certain foreign politicians, and while we hope to believe that these comments do not reflect the positions of the governments of our partners, obviously they are not helpful in our efforts.
Current security situation
The main backbone of the coup plotters has been captured and legal processes begun.
The Government and our nation, nevertheless, remain vigilant against possible attempts by individuals or residual cells to take revenge or disrupt public order and security.
The impact of the coup attempt on Counter Terrorism efforts
As I said, this is a very extraordinary situation where Turkey was hit by a terrorist coup plot. This heinous attack was planned and carried at a time our country was already fighting the PKK/YPG and DEASH terrorism.
However, after this weekend, as a result of damage assessments and the coordination by our relevant agencies, I am pleased to inform you that the CT measures against DEASH and the PKK/YPG continue. The support of our allies and its display in words and deeds will be much appreciated.
It was also decided by the cabinet and the government to declare a state of emergency for three months. This state declaration is based on article 120 of the Turkish constitution, so it is a legal measure which is intended to protect democracy, freedom and security in the entire country, and will remain in force for three months.
Flights to Turkey continue uninterrupted
Turkish Airlines issued a press release yesterday saying that their ‘operations and flights continue uninterrupted.’
In the wake of the 3-month state emergency, Turkish Airlines has announced that all its operations and flights are functioningwithout interruption, and will continue to do so.
As Turkey’s flag carrier, which flies to more countries than any other airline, serving 290 destinations in 116 nations across the globe, Turkish Airlines will continue to bring the world closer for all its passengers around the world, with its exceptional flight experience, the release said.
The airline stands united with the people and thanks the authorities for the precautions and actions to protect the nation from all possible threats.
