Turkey 'appreciates' Kenyan support after defeated coup

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya 

Turkey’s ambassador to Kenya on Thursday said her country "appreciates the support" given by Kenyans during the deadly July 15 coup attempt, which sought to overthrow the Turkish government.

Speaking at the Turkish embassy in Nairobi to both reporters and seven governors from northeastern Kenya, a predominantly Muslim-populated area, Deniz Eke said: "We appreciate the support from various levels of the Kenyan government and Kenyans who reach [out to] us through different channels to express their solidarity."

Eke assured the governors that Kenyans in Turkey "have been accounted for and are safe".

She said her country would help Kenya to combat the Somali-based Al Shabab militant group, adding that "Turkey fights acts of terrorism conducted by the Fetullah Gulen Terrorist organisation."

Eke said the three-month state of emergency in Turkey would not affect the decisions made during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Nairobi in early June, and that Turkey would continue funding projects in Kenya.

The projects include cooperation in the health sector, development, security and empowerment of vulnerable communities in northern Kenya.