'2016 defeated coup meant to prevent Türkiye's rise as regional power'

By Adem Balta

ANKARA (AA) - The 2016 coup attempt was meant to thwart Türkiye’s rise as a regional power, the country’s parliament speaker said on Friday.

“Certain circles view Türkiye’s rise as an influential economic and cultural actor as a threat,” Mustafa Sentop said at an event held at the Turkish parliament to mark the sixth anniversary of the defeated coup attempt.

Among the raft of reasons for FETO’s bid to seize power on July 15, 2016, was Türkiye’s firm stance on its rights in the Eastern Mediterranean, which is based on international law, he added.

That is to say, he asserted, that the coup attempt was much more than an unpatriotic clique’s bid to topple the government.

Sentop was full of praise for the heroic actions of people who took to the streets to foil the coup attempt, as well as the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup, which left 251 people dead and 2,734 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.

The attempt by FETO to overthrow the government began around 10 p.m. local time (1900GMT) on July 15, 2016, and was thwarted by 8 a.m. the next day.

Standing against the threat, the Turkish people courageously showed the world that they would not tolerate any attempt to trample their will as expressed through their democratically elected government.