08 December 2016•Update: 09 December 2016
By Ayhan Simsek
HAMBURG, Germany
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has urged international partners on Thursday to be vigilant against Fethullah Terrorist Organization, or FETO, which is believed to have organized the July 15 coup attempt in Turkey.
Addressing counterparts from 56 nations at the annual meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Hamburg, Germany, Cavusoglu warned FETO was not only a threat for Turkey but also for other countries.
“We all need to be vigilant against this terrorist organisation FETO. Because this is a terror network that is active all over the world in 170 countries,” he said.
Cavusoglu underlined that members of FETO were responsible for the foiled attempt to overthrow the democratically elected Turkish government on the night of July 15th.
“Fighter jets bombed our Turkish parliament. Tanks rolled over the innocent civilians. FETO terrorists killed 248 people and thousands were injured. But Turkish people stopped this coup attempt and defended democracy,” he said.
Cavusoglu thanked countries that showed solidarity with Turkey amid the coup attempt, and underlined that Turkey will continue to take every necessary measure within the rule of law to avoid a similar attempt in the future.
The Turkish foreign minister also called on OSCE member states to take indiscriminate action against all terrorist groups regardless of their political affiliation.
“Our nations are fighting against a number of terrorist groups, including al Qaeda, Daesh, and others. And FETO is no different from them,” he stressed.
“Our fight against terrorism must above all be sincere and indiscriminate. Let us not forget that there is no good terrorist,” he added.
The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, is believed to have organized July’s attempted military takeover in Turkey, which left over more than 240 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
The Turkish government suspects Gulen's followers recently came closer to fully controlling the Turkish state by infiltrating key institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, in a long-running campaign dating back to the 1980s.
