Eight Turkish military members requested asylum in Greece after participating in a failed coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday night.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said they have been arrested and will be repatriated. Friday’s Coup d’etat attempt left 161 dead and 1,440 wounded. Police officers have already detained dozens of people related to the event. Eight army member arrived in Greece’s International Airport of Alexandroupoli in a Black Hawk helicopter, while the Turkish government recovered control in Ankara.
The Greek Aviation detected the team’s request to land in the country on Friday and provided them all necessary meteorological data. All people in the aircraft were immediately arrested on the orders of Cavus. The latter said on Twitter that the group of soldiers is going back to Turkey. Olga Gerovasili, a spokeswoman for the Greek government, told Hellenic Public TV that Greece is collaborating with Turkey to the return the helicopter.
Gerovasili stated that Greece would follow guidelines determined by the international law regarding the case of the Turkish militaries. An asylum request can be processed in more than two weeks.
“In examining their claims, it will be taken very seriously into account that they participated in an attempt to overthrow the democratic regime and the constitutional order in the neighboring country,” said Gerovasili, according to CNBC News.
Greece’s foreign minister Nikos Kotzias has condemned the attempted coup, adding that he supports democracy and constitutional order in Turkey. He met alongside Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and foreign affairs representatives for the European Union to speak about the Coup d’etat attempt.
World leaders react to attempted coup in Turkey: Merkel, Obama, Clinton, Trump
Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, “strongly condemned” the Coup d’etat attempt organized by the Turkish military. She remarked that Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been democratically elected. Boris Johnson, Britain’s foreign secretary, said that The United Kingdom supports the Turkish democratically elected government. On the other hand, Prime Minister of Greece Alexis Tsipras said that Greeks are standing for constitutional order in Turkey.
United States President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday that all political parties in Turkey should support Erdoğan’s democratically elected government, “show restraint and avoid any violence or bloodshed.”
“While we have no indications as of yet that Americans were killed or injured in the violence, the President and his team lamented the loss of life and registered the vital need for all parties in Turkey to act within the rule of law and to avoid actions that would lead to further violence or instability,” The White House said.
On the other hand, Kerry said he has spoken to Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu, and stressed the support of the United States for Turkey’s democracy. Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton encouraged respect for laws, institutions and fundamental human rights in Turkey. Clinton supported Obama’s premise, saying that political parties in the country should work to prevent further violent attempts.
Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump stated in a Saturday address that he wishes well to people in Turkey. “A lot of anguish last night, but hopefully it will all work out,” added Trump, according to TPM.
Erdogan to Obama: ‘Either arrest Fethullah Gulen or return him to Turkey’
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that the United States should arrest or extradite Muslim leader Fethullah Gulen, who resides in Pennsylvania. The Turkish president said that the cleric has links with organizers of the coup attempt. Erdogan told a group of supporters in Istanbul that this is the second time he asks the United States to extradite Fethullah Gulen. “If we are strategic partners, do what is necessary,” added the Turkish president, according to the New York Times.
Turkey has never denied any extradition request to the United States, said Erdogan. Both countries are allies in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry stated that Turkey would have to demonstrate Gulen’s link with the coup attempt.
Gulen’s philosophy encourages Islamic religion in combination with democratic rights, science, and education,as reported by The Associated Press. Kerry remarked that the U.S. government is open to accept any evidence for judging Gulen. Gulen has stated in a statement that he condemns the attempted coup in Turkey. He added that he supports democracy instead of force as a way to obtain a place in the government. The cleric remarked that Erdogan’s declarations were insulting and denied any accusation.
Kerry then said that the U.S. had not received any advert before the coup attempt. He added that it was not “brilliantly planned,” according to The Associated Press. Turkey has already arrested more than 2,800 soldiers who participated in the coup attempt.
Source: CNBC