Turkey slams Germany for granting asylum to Gülen-linked former military personnel

ANKARA

Turkey has slammed Germany for accepting the asylum requests of some former Turkish military personnel accused of having links with the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ), the alleged perpetrator of the July 2016 failed coup. 

“We regret Germany’s decision to accept the asylum applications of some former military personnel linked with FETÖ that staged the treacherous July 15 coup attempt,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement on May 11. 

The ministry said the decision did not comply with the spirit of the alliance between the countries and would harm the multidimensional bilateral ties between the two nations.  

German authorities “ignored democratic principles and values” while embracing the putschist mindset, the ministry said, expressing its expectation that Germany would lend the necessary support to Turkey in its ongoing fight against terror, including FETÖ. 

A number of Turkish military personnel based in various NATO bodies across Europe have sought asylum from their countries of residence in the post-July 2016 period amid concerns that they would be prosecuted and eventually arrested on charges of being a member of FETÖ.

Members of the military alleged to have ties with FETÖ launched a coup attempt last year that resulted in the deaths of 249 loyalist security forces and citizens. Along with those who physically participated in the coup attempt, Turkey purged thousands of high-ranking military personnel on allegations that they were linked to the terror organization. 

The organization is led by Fethullah Gülen, an Islamic preacher who has lived in exile in the United States since the late 1990s.