Turkey condemns coup attempt in Gabon

ANKARA

Turkey has denounced a coup attempt in the central African country of Gabon.

“We condemn the coup attempt that took place this morning in Gabon,” said the Foreign Ministry in a statement on Jan 7.

“Turkey is against all attempts aiming to unlawfully change elected governments. We attach importance to maintaining peace and stability in Gabon,” the statement added.

Earlier on Jan. 7, the Gabonese government said that it had quashed a coup attempt in the country.

Government spokesman Guy-Bertran Mapangou told reporters that soldiers who briefly took over the national radio on Jan. 7 morning had been arrested.

Mapangou stressed that the situation is back in control while the country’s president is recovering from a stroke abroad.

In 2016, Turkey went through a failed coup attempt, which is widely believed to have been undertaken by FETÖ. 

Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.