Turkish gov't downplays any possibility of a coup attempt
AKP lawmakers have downplayed any possibility of a coup attempt following debates over a report by the RAND Corporation. The lawmakers couldn't make sense of the debate, since significant changes were made following the July 15 takeover attempt. "The conditions of today are very different from July 15," an AKP official told Duvar, as he listed four differences.
Duvar English
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has downplayed any possibility of a coup attempt, following a report by a U.S.-based think tank regarding a new military takeover bid being plausible.
The report by the RAND Corporation said that the dismissal of hundreds of officers after the July 15, 2016 failed coup attempt caused discontent among the mid-level officers in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).
"This discontent could even lead to another coup attempt at some point and [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan appears to take the threat seriously," the report released last month read.
The report was followed by former army chief İlker Başbuğ's remarks on the political leg of the movement of the U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen and military tutelage, prompting a debate on a new coup bid.
While the issue was covered mostly by pro-government media, the harshest reactions to the report came from the government.
"All of these campaigns are betrayals to Turkey, the nation and the people," President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in response to a question on the issue.
AKP lawmakers, meanwhile, couldn't make sense of the debate, since significant changes were made following the July 15 takeover attempt, widely believed to have been masterminded by Gülenists.
"The conditions of today are very different from July 15," an AKP official told Duvar, as he listed four differences.
"First, General Staff was put under the President. Second, armored units in Ankara were transferred upstate," the deputy also said.
Turkey's National Intelligence Agency (MİT) can collect intelligence within the TSK, the deputy cited as the third change, adding that the fourth one is the fact that all political parties and the people have adopted a very clear attitude against military coups.