Turks’ coup resistance chance for democracy: deputy PM

NEW YORK (AA) – Resistance by Turks in the face of a recent coup attempt “is a valuable opportunity for the institutionalization of democracy in Turkey”, that country’s deputy prime minister said Friday during a visit to the U.S.

Turkey is a “paragon of stability” in the Middle East, Numan Kurtulmus said during a meeting at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

“Turkey is virtually the last island of humanity in the region,” he added.

The solidarity on display at an Aug. 7 rally in Istanbul, where millions of Turks participated along, with leaders from across the political landscape, gave Kurtulmus hope, he said, regarding ongoing efforts to draft a new Constitution.

With regards to Operation Euphrates Shield that Turkey launched earlier this week against terror groups on its southern border, Kurtulmus said the mission is to ensure his country’s security. “We are opposed to a terrorist group such as PYD -- supported by only a tiny fraction of Kurds – capturing a large swathe of territory in northern Syria and pose a threat on our border,” the minister said.

Kurtulmus will deliver an address later Friday at the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America, a Muslim umbrella group that has been described as the largest in North America.

Also attending the meeting at Chicago Council was Turkey’s U.S. ambassador Serdar Kilic and Chicago consul general Umut Acar.