Diplomat recalls UK's support for Turkey during coup

By Tayfun Salci and Inci Gundag

LONDON

Turkey’s ambassador to the U.K. has said Britain “distinguished itself” from other supposed Turkish allies when it quickly and forcefully condemned last year's July 15 coup attempt.

Abdurrahman Bilgic, speaking to Anadolu Agency in London just days before the first anniversary of the coup plot, said he would never forget the night of July 15.

Bilgic described how British officials expressed their support to Turkey, recalling how Prime Minister Theresa May -- who had assumed office only two days before -- condemned the coup attempt in a phone call with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He said Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also made calls to his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, expressing Britain’s support.

“We were extremely happy to have contributed to the tone and content of those messages,” Bilgic said.

“I told minister [Alan] Duncan, who called me personally and asked for information about the developments in our country, that a clear message of solidarity with our country and its democratic institutions against the coup attempt would be the most suitable approach to the nature of the high-level relationship between our countries,” Bilgic said.

Recalling that Sir Alan Duncan -- a senior U.K. Foreign Office minister -- was the first overseas official to visit Turkey following the coup attempt, Bilgic said: “The support and solidarity shown by the U.K. in a difficult situation our country was going through was admired by our state and people.”

Duncan visited Turkey three days after the July 15 coup attempt and later made two other visits.

Turkey’s leadership has criticized Western allies, such as the U.S. and the EU, for what it viewed as their slow response in condemning an attempt to violently overthrow the Turkish government.

According to the Turkish government, the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

Bilgic spoke about the night of the defeated coup: “Our first impression about those extremely saddening events was that Turkish democracy and the nation’s will were under attack.

“As the content of the incident started to become clear, our citizens living in the U.K. contacted me and my colleagues directly and stated that what was happening was unacceptable and they wanted to act to protect their democratic will and support democratic institutions.

“I cannot find the suitable words to define the savagery and treason exhibited by the traitor coup plotters on the night of July 15.”

Bilgic also underlined the success Turkey has had in its fight against terrorist organizations such as FETO, the PKK and Daesh.

“Our fight against all terrorist organizations, including FETO, continues with determination and with a spirit of national unity formed straight after July 15,” he said.