16 August 2018•Update: 16 August 2018
ANKARA
Cameroon has been totally cleared of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), a group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, said Turkey’s envoy to the Central African country on Thursday.
According to Ambassador Murat Ulku, students and teachers at schools previously affiliated with FETO are doing better after the schools were transferred to the stewardship of the Turkish Maarif Foundation, founded by the government to fulfill this purpose.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency in Ankara, where he is attending the 10th Ambassador's Conference, Ulku said Cameroon stands by Turkey’s side in the fight against FETO and that the two countries are economic allies.
Turkey is looking for a respectful and mutually beneficial relationship with Cameroon, the ambassador stressed, noting that two countries are aiming to boost their $150 million trade volume.
He explained that Turkey and Cameroon are looking to establish win-win relations in a large number of fields such as textiles, food, agriculture, tourism, and infrastructure.
"Cameroonian authorities and Turkish investors bring capital and technology together and are working together for the industrialization of Cameroon. Our goal is to create success stories in Cameroon. "
Turkish contractors are busy building in Cameroon, citing the example of a stadium with a 50,000-seat capacity built by a Turkish firm in Douala, Cameroon’s largest city, according to Ulku.
Fighting FETO
Before the July 2016 defeated coup, FETO owned six schools and seven “religious” institutions in Cameroon.
"Thank God now FETO has been fully cleared from Cameroon," said Ulku.
He stated that the government and people of Cameroon showed solidarity with Turkey, saying: "We, as a state, came to the country [Cameroon] too late, the FETO terrorists got here earlier and penetrated the public and established a lot of local ties. But the people believed in us."
All FETO-affiliated schools in Cameron were handed over to the Turkish Maarif Foundation. The foundation is working on the smooth transition of students and teachers. They will get a better-quality of education, said Ulku.
In addition to the defeated coup, which martyred 251 people and injured thousands, Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, including the military, police, judiciary, and schools.
FETO also has a considerable presence outside Turkey, including private educational institutions that serve as a revenue stream for the terrorist group.
Reporting by Tevfik Durul and Tugrul Cam; Writing by Munira Abdelmenan Awel
