Turkey thanks Putin for unconditional support over coup attempt

“We thank the Russian authorities, particularly President Putin. We have received unconditional support from Russia, unlike other countries,” Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Habertürk TV on July 25. “This is our expectation from our other friends, as well,” he added. 

Turkey and Russia ended eight months of tension in late June after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wrote a letter to his counterpart to express his deep sorrow over the shooting down of a Russian warplane along the Syrian border on Nov. 24, 2015. Russia was one of the first countries to condemn the failed coup attempt on July 15 and express its support to the democratically elected Turkish government. 

Erdoğan and Putin are expected to come together in Moscow in mid-August to revive ties, Çavuşoğlu said, recalling Turkey’s two ministers responsible for the economy would hold preparatory talks with their counterparts in Russia on July 26. Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli and Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekçi were scheduled to depart to Russia late July 25 from Ankara. 

Russia recently officially removed all economic and touristic sanctions which had been put against Turkey in the aftermath of the Nov. 24, 2015, incident.

The ministers will discuss the agenda of the Erdoğan-Putin summit, Çavuşoğlu said, adding the two countries were also focused on the revival of military and intelligence mechanisms to increase the cooperation in Syria.   

‘Gülenists can stage a coup in Kyrgyzstan’ 

Çavuşoğlu also reiterated his urging to the government of Kyrgyzstan, as he described the country as “the base of the Gülenist organization in Central Asia.” 

“They have infiltrated the Kyrgyz administration as well. They can stage a coup there,” Çavuşoğlu said, adding that Kyrgyzstan was under a serious threat. 

Çavuşoğlu said he informed his Kyrgyz counterpart about the members of this organization in the Central Asian country and gave him an updated list of Gülenists.