Recep Erdogan: the West stands by the coup and terrorists

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has strongly accused the West of supporting terrorism and coup plotters, expressing his resentment at the unsatisfying support from Turkey’s allies in the aftermath of the failed July 15 coup attempt.

Speaking during a televised speech, Erdogan said: "Those who we imagined to be friends are standing by the coup plotters and by the terrorists. Is the West on the side of democracy or on the side of terror?"

The resentment stems from long-running rift between Turkey and a number of EU countries on the fight against terror which seems to have deepened in the aftermath of the coup attempt after the support the Turkish government expected failed to arrive.

“We have not received the support we were expecting from our friends, neither during nor after the coup attempt,” he said.

Melih Gokcek, Ankara’s mayor, who said the United States must extradite Fetullah Gulen, a cult leader who played a major role  in the 15 July coup plot.

Speaking at a separate news conference, the mayor said: “I don’t want to believe that the US is complicit but the true test will be if they extradite Gulen. We have a terrorist living there."

Background on this from Katehon:

The NATO footprint in the unsuccessful attempt in the Turkish coup is too obvious. The most active part in the coup was the Air Force, the branch most closely integrated into NATO structures. Rebels used the NATO base of Incirlik . The head of the conspiracy - Gülen has long lived in the United States and worked for the CIA. The day before, at the base of Incirlik, a mass protest was held. Demonstrators came up with the anti-NATO and anti-American slogans. The idea of ​​NATO's exit received strong support in Turkish society. If the country's leadership will decide to reinforce this step, it will be the biggest defeat of Atlanticism in the last thirty years.

The military coup had obvious geopolitical implications. It comes after a sharp reversal in the direction of the relations of Turkey and Russia and changes on the Syrian issue made by the country's leaders . On last eve Binali Yildirim said that Turkey intends to restore relations with official Damascus. In essence, this would mean a radical change of the whole geopolitical situation on the Syrian issue and the collapse of the US strategy in the region. Before that Erdogan removed Ahmet Davutoglu from the country's leadership.  US realized that Erdogan decided to change the geopolitical course. United States decided to act and use their networks of influence in military circles, to initiate a coup.