Kyrgyz president rebuffs Turkish warning about FETÖ coup threat

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on July 26 that Turkey had warned Kyrgyzstan of possible coup attempts in the country by supporters of U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, claiming that the group had chosen the country as one of its “bases” and that there were constant infiltrations inside the Kyrgyz state structure. 

Responding to a question during a press conference on Aug. 1, Atambayev said the claim was “absurd,” as they would of course take in to consideration all warnings and evaluate all information about this issue but there was “no need to scare and teach” something. 

“This is an absurd claim. If they were this smart, then why did they not notice the coup attempt in their country beforehand?” asked Atambayev, adding that his country was grateful for Turkey’s help during hard times but no one had the right to impose their own conditions on any other country.

“We are a sovereign country and it is we who should decide on what is needed for us and what is not. Countries should help each other without any conditions and should not assume that we will say yes to whatever’s said. Otherwise, we do not need such help. You can take that help back,” said Atambayev.