Leaders stand behind Erdogan
Governments make plea for restraint in wake of attempted coup in Turkey.
The United States called on all parties in Turkey to support President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government against a coup attempt as world leaders expressed concern about the upheaval in a Nato member country that bridges Europe and the Middle East.
As the death toll surged to more than 150 last night, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry gave their support to Erdogan after Turkey’s military tried to seize power. But by last night Erdogan appeared to have regained control.
‘‘The President and Secretary agreed that all parties in Turkey should support the democraticallyelected government of Turkey, show restraint, and avoid any violence or bloodshed,’’ the White House said in a statement.
After a night of chaotic and confusing developments, with tanks appearing on the streets and warplanes circling above the capital Ankara, more than 100 soldiers and 47 civilians died in the bloodshed, with more than 1000 were injured.
Turkish government said last night it had regained control and arrested 1,563 mutinous soldiers.
Erdogan has ruled Turkey since 2003 and if the coup against him was successful it would have been one of the biggest shifts in the Middle East in years.
The sharp-tongued Erdogan is often accused of authoritarian rule at home and has frequently fallen out with neighbours such as Israel, Iran, Russia and the European Union as he tried to carve out a greater role for Turkey in the Middle East.
But Turkey is a key ally for Washington which has often pointed to the country as a good example of a free-market democracy in the Muslim world.
Relations between Erdogan and the Obama administration have deteriorated in recent years as Washington complained that Ankara was not doing enough to fight Islamic State. Erdogan chafes at US support for Syrian Kurdish rebels, who have close ties to Kurdish guerrillas fighting in Turkey. The United States uses the Incirlik air base in Turkey to launch strikes against Islamic State, which holds territory in Syria and Iraq. It said those operations had not been affected by the coup attempt.
The State Department told US citizens in Turkey to ‘‘shelter in place and stay indoors.’’
US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said she supported Turkey’s civilian government and was following the events in Turkey ‘‘with great concern.’’
European Council President Donald Tusk called for a swift return to Turkey’s constitutional order, saying tensions there could not be resolved by guns.
‘‘Turkey is a key partner for the European Union. The EU fully supports the democratically elected government, the institutions of the country and the rule of law,’’ he said.
Those sentiments were echoed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Nato SecretaryGeneral Jens Stoltenberg who described Turkey as ‘‘a valued Nato ally’’.
‘‘The democratic order in Turkey must be respected. Everything needs to be done to protect human lives,’’ Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said.
Iran, a Shi’ite Muslim nation which has long been a regional rival to Sunni majority Turkey, said yesterday it was deeply concerned about the crisis in the neighbouring country.
‘‘Stability, democracy and safety of Turkish people are paramount. Unity and prudence are imperative,’’ Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said.
In Syria, hundreds of cheering government supporters took to the streets of Damascus early yesterday Turkey is a key partner for the European Union. The EU fully supports the democratically elected government, the institutions of the country and the rule of law. and celebratory gunfire erupted after Turkey’s army said it seized power from Erdogan, one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s main foes in the region.
Assad’s government has accused Erdogan of fuelling Syria’s fiveyear conflict by supporting Islamist insurgents battling Damascus and allowing foreign jihadis to cross the border from Turkey into Syria.
The Kremlin said it was gravely concerned about events in Turkey, and that it had instructed officials to help Russian nationals in Turkey return home at the earliest opportunity.
President Vladimir Putin was being kept constantly updated on the situation in Turkey, a spokesman said.
Britain’s new foreign minister, Boris Johnson, said he was ‘‘very concerned’’ by events in Turkey, where many thousands of British and other European holidaymakers were spending summer vacations.
Pakistan condemned the attempt to undermine democracy and rule of law and China’s Foreign Ministry called on Turkey to restore order and stability as soon as possible.
The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Turkey’s democracy must be respected. There were no reports of New Zealanders being injured in the violence. Reuters