Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

As a year passes since the attempted military coup that shook Turkey in July 2016, the country's political elite is marking this monumental turning point in their political history.

The deadly coup attempt, which claimed the lives of more than 240 people and injured over 2,000, is regarded as a test democracy for the nation in Turkey. The country received multiple international reaction to the event, showcased true friends of the nation.

Speaking at the event held on this occasion, Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdag accused the west of keeping silence and not supporting the democratic government in Turkey.

"The West, including the U.S., was remained silent until the end of the events related to the attempted military coup. Instead of supporting Turkey, the West chose to keep silence until the end. Only a number of friendly countries supported Turkey, and we thank these countries for supporting the democratic building in Turkey," the minister told reporters on July 12.

Turkey is upset by the position of Europe and the U.S., which was demonstrated during the coup attempt, he added.

At the early hours of July 15 soldiers and tanks took to the streets and a number of explosions rang out in Ankara and Istanbul. Fighter jets dropped bombs on the parliament, while the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hulusi Akar, was kidnapped.

As news of the coup attempt spread via social media and TV, thousands of ordinary citizens went to streets and squares around Ankara and Istanbul to oppose the coup.

Bozdag noted that no one else can attempt a military coup in Turkey any more.

"For the first time the Turkish Parliament was bombarded by the terrorists of the Fethullah Gulen movement, which was prevented by the people of Turkey. For the sake of their country they took to the streets and supported their government," he said.

The minister noted that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also contributed to the prevention of the coup attempt.

Around 6,000 suspects, including at least 2,839 soldiers and thousands of judiciary members, have been detained as part of a wide-scale operation launched following the deadly coup attempt.

Bozdag also commented on the rumors about the violence committed against putschists, saying no violence was committed against them in Turkey.

He went on talking about difficulties in extraditing putschists from a number of countries.

"What Osama bin Laden means for the U.S., then Fethullah Gulen means the same for Turkey. It is known that Gulen is currently hiding in the U.S., while a number of putschists are in Germany and Greece. Such treatment by some countries makes a negative impact on our relations with them," he said.

The minister believes that the Gulen movement is a threat not only for Turkey, but also for other countries.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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