Wednesday

29th Mar 2023

EU and US urge restraint as dozens killed in Turkey coup attempt

  • Clashes included strikes by Erdogan-loyal F-16 jets against tanks that had taken up positions outside parliament in the capital city. (Photo: svenwerk)

The EU and US have urged Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan to show restraint after a failed coup d’etat led to military clashes and dozens of deaths in Ankara and Istanbul.

Turkish officials told local media on Saturday (16 July) that at least 90 civilians and 104 military personnel lost their lives in overnight violence, with more than 1,000 people injured.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

The clashes included strikes by Erdogan-loyal F-16 jets against tanks that had taken up positions outside parliament in the capital city.

A bomb inside parliament killed 12 people. Soldiers from the military faction that tried to seize power reportedly also fired live ammunition at Erdogan-loyal crowds on a bridge across the Bosphorus in Istanbul and in Taksim square in the city centre.

Speaking from an EU-Asia summit in Mongolia the same day, EU Council leader Donald Tusk said: “Turkey is a key partner for the European Union. The EU fully supports the democratically elected government [of Erdogan], the institutions of the country and the rule of law”.

He called for a “swift return to Turkey’s constitutional order" and said the situation cannot be resolved by firepower alone.

The EU foreign service said "any escalation of violence involving civilians has to be avoided".

The White House said in a statement “all parties in Turkey should support the democratically-elected government of Turkey, show restraint, and avoid any violence or bloodshed”.

The Nato military alliance, of which Turkey is a member, also called for "full respect" for Turkey's democratic institutions.

The shocking events unfolded late on Friday when tanks and soldiers rolled into Turkey’s two main cities, taking control of Istanbul’s main airport, bridges, public squares and some state-run media.

The rogue military group said in a statement that they did it "to ensure and restore constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms".

It promised to create a “peace council” to rule the country and to draft a new constitution.

Erdogan was at the time on holiday in the seaside resort of Marmaris in south-west Turkey.

He said in a message broadcast by videophone on CNN-Turk from an unknown location: “I urge the Turkish people to convene at public squares and airports. There is no power higher than the power of the people”.

He added that the “chain of command has been violated. This is a step against the higher ranks, and the judiciary will swiftly respond to this attack.”

He then flew to Istanbul on Saturday morning, amid reports that the rogue soldiers had begun to surrender en masse to Erdogan-loyal crowds.

Addressing one gathering of people in the city, he said: “The government is in control … We are in charge and we will continue exercising our powers until the end. We will not abandon our country to these invaders.”

He later said on TV “It will end well… The most important thing right now is that millions of Turkish citizens are on the streets.”

His office added in a statement that the plotters would “pay a heavy price for their treason to Turkey”, amid reports that more than 1,500 military personnel had been detained.

Turkey’s acting military chief, Umit Dundar, said on TV: “The coup attempt was rejected by the chain of command immediately. The people have taken to the streets and voiced their support for democracy”.

Speaking from exile in the US, Fethullah Gulen, an influential Islamic teacher who is hostile to Erdogan, said he “categorically” rejected accusations of his involvement in the events.

The attempted coup is the fifth such event in the country since 1960.

Erdogan’s party, the AKP, won recent elections in a mostly free and fair ballot.

But the president has in the past two years cracked down on opposition parties, journalists, independent judges and prosecutors in developments criticised by the EU.

EU gives up on Turkey visa deadlines

Turkish citizens will not get visa-free travel to the EU by the end of June, and the commission now admits it cannot give a date for completion of the deal.

EU silence on Turkey abuses is 'shameful'

Can Dundar, editor-in-chief of the opposition daily Cumhuriyet in Turkey, says the EU has lost credibility after kowtowing to Erdogan's authoritarianism.

EU trying to bury report on Turkey migrant returns

The EU's asylum agency in Malta is working to determine if Turkey is safe enough to return asylum seekers. Their probe has riled the EU commission and some EU states who want it to stop.

Column

What does China really want? Perhaps we could try asking

Perhaps even more surprising to the West was the fact that the Iran-Saudi Arabia deal was not brokered by the United States, or the European Union, but by the People's Republic of China. Since when was China mediating peace agreements?

Opinion

Biden's 'democracy summit' poses questions for EU identity

From the perspective of international relations, the EU is a rare bird indeed. Theoretically speaking it cannot even exist. The charter of the United Nations, which underlies the current system of global governance, distinguishes between states and organisations of states.

Latest News

  1. EU approves 2035 phaseout of polluting cars and vans
  2. New measures to shield the EU against money laundering
  3. What does China really want? Perhaps we could try asking
  4. Dear EU, the science is clear: burning wood for energy is bad
  5. Biden's 'democracy summit' poses questions for EU identity
  6. Finnish elections and Hungary's Nato vote in focus This WEEK
  7. EU's new critical raw materials act could be a recipe for conflict
  8. Okay, alright, AI might be useful after all

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. EFBWWEFBWW and FIEC do not agree to any exemptions to mandatory prior notifications in construction
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic and Baltic ways to prevent gender-based violence
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Economic gender equality now! Nordic ways to close the pension gap
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Pushing back the push-back - Nordic solutions to online gender-based violence
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: The Nordics are ready to push for gender equality
  6. Promote UkraineInvitation to the National Demonstration in solidarity with Ukraine on 25.02.2023

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Azerbaijan Embassy9th Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting and 1st Green Energy Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting
  2. EFBWWEU Social Dialogue review – publication of the European Commission package and joint statement of ETUFs
  3. Oxfam InternationalPan Africa Program Progress Report 2022 - Post Covid and Beyond
  4. WWFWWF Living Planet Report
  5. Europan Patent OfficeHydrogen patents for a clean energy future: A global trend analysis of innovation along hydrogen value chains

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us