Erdogan further weakens Turkish military on failed coup anniversary

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Turkey’s presidency issued seven decrees on Sunday aimed at restricting the power of the nation’s military as the country marked the second anniversary of the failed July 15, 2016 military coup.

Newly reelected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the families of the coup victims in Bestepe on Sunday “we have to take lessons from what happens to us”. Under Turkey’s new political system, a brighter future awaits, he added.

Erdogan said the US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who the Turkish government holds responsible for the coup, “wants to target the unity of our country just like PKK and ISIS”.

Ankara considers the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) a terrorist organization.

The government has now changed the structure of the army and brought the general staff under the full control of the ministry of defense.

Erdogan has also changed the composition of the Turkish Supreme Military Council (YAS), making his son-in-law Berat Albayrak – the newly-appointed minister of finance and treasury – a member of the council.

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), responsible for development projects abroad, will now be managed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The General Directorate of Foundations, an organization that manages and audits religious foundations in Turkey, is also being moved to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

A Directorate of Disaster and Emergency Management is to be established. This will be managed by the Interior Ministry.

The European Union Ministry and the Defense Industry Undersecretary will be abolished. Equivalent organizations will be created under presidential control.

Two years ago, the people of Turkey were shocked to see Erdogan appear on national television calling on them to take to the streets.

Erdogan was on holiday at the time. He appeared on Turkish NTV via FaceTime, saying he had lost contact with then Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar, who was reportedly abducted by the Peace at Home Council – the group which conducted the coup.

He has previously told CNN Turk that a “parallel structure” was behind the coup, referring to Gulen’s Hizmet Movement.

The group claimed to represent the Turkish Armed Forces when it appeared on the state-owned TRT on the night of the coup, making Tijen Karas – a TRT anchor – read their statement.

“Systematic constitutional and law violations, the state’s fundamental qualities, and the existence of vital state institutions have come under threat. All Turkish institutions, including Turkish Armed Forces, are being designed with ideological motive, thus unable to perform their duties,” read the statement.

The group tried to take over state institutions in Ankara and Istanbul but failed, despite attacks on the parliament building and presidential complex.

In his FaceTime address on NTV, Erdogan said his government had suspected such an attempt.

“We were not aware of such incidents before but we had suspicion but not to the point that such things would happen … I invite all those people, who believe in democracy, to the streets. I will be on streets as well,” he said, calling on army generals not to follow the orders of coup leaders.

Turkey had already seen four military coups since 1960.

The first coup was conducted against the democratically elected Democrat Party’s government on May 27, 1960, which was followed by the 1971 military memorandum.

After nine years, Kenan Evren, then chief of general staff, staged a coup which resulted in the death of 50 people and half a million people were sent to jail.

In 1997, Turkey experienced its fourth coup, known as a post-modern coup or memorandum, which initiated the resignation of Necmettin Erbakan as leader of the Welfare Party. Erdogan was then mayor of Istanbul on the party’s ticket.

Erdogan further weakens Turkish military on failed coup anniversary

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