Turkey coup bid 'inexcusable': Ex-Lebanese president

By Hamza Tekin

BEIRUT

Former Lebanese President Amin Gemayel has condemned the "inexcusable" coup attempt that took place in Turkey last Friday, calling on the Turkish government to draw inspiration from the incident "to rack up even more political and development achievements".

In an interview with Anadolu Agency, Gemayel, a prominent Christian leader, praised Turkey’s relations with Lebanon, saying: "We consider Turkey to be our big brother; Turkey plays a positive role vis-à-vis Beirut, supporting the country’s sovereignty and independence."

"We condemned this [coup] attempt from the outset and express our solidarity with [Turkish] President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and with the legitimate and democratically-elected government," he added.

"Turkey is an important country. It plays a significant role in the region by its ability in recent years to forge strong relations all of its neighbors, including Lebanon," Gemayel said.

"What Erdogan is doing now in Turkey is aimed at pushing the democratic process forward and ensuring domestic stability," he added.

"This coup attempt was inexcusable, since Turkey has recently held democratic parliamentary and presidential elections, while the country was generally going in the right direction," the former Lebanese president said.

"The Turkish government has registered a lot of achievements, especially in the economic and industrial fields," he went on. "Turkish industry now competes with the industry of developed countries in Europe."

According to Gemayel, the most important thing for the Turkish leadership now is "to move past this unfortunate event and maintain its developmental successes. This failed [coup] attempt should serve to inspire even greater political and developmental achievements."

"This failed [coup] attempt has had very negative effects, including the number of victims, damage to government institutions, and the setback in mutual trust," he said.

"However, it has had a positive effect on the Turkish political scene, as it united the Turkish people," he added. "This was seen in the public’s haste to condemn any move made outside the framework of the constitution and the internal order."

As for Lebanese-Turkish relations, the former president said: "Today our relations are better than before as we voice our country's solidarity with Turkey against the failed coup attempt".

"I don’t think there is any Lebanese party that stands against Turkey. The Lebanese were unanimous in their support for Turkey’s legitimate government," he said.

"By its nature, Lebanon doesn’t favor military coups. Lebanon has avoided such kind of events since its independence in 1943," he said. "The Lebanese people advocate the democratic process and support the will of the people."

Gemayel went on to note out that Turkey produces much of the electricity used by Lebanon and that Lebanese tourism to Turkey was "very sophisticated".

"There are daily flights between the two countries," he asserted.

What’s more, Gemayel said, "Turkey has an Ottoman cultural heritage in Lebanon, while Lebanon is active in the restoration of [Ottoman-era] Turkish monuments".

The July 15 coup plot is believed to have been orchestrated by followers of U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen, who have been accused of attempting to infiltrate Turkey’s vital state institutions -- especially the military, police apparatus and judiciary -- with the aim of creating a "parallel state".

At least 246 people, including civilians and security personnel, were martyred -- and more than 2,100 injured -- during the putsch attempt.