Erdogan: Gulen Supporters Targeted Turkey-Russia Relations

During a recent speech in Russia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused supporters of Fethullah Gulen and their 'supporting powers' of playing a role in the deterioration of relations between Ankara and Moscow. He referred to the 'painful incident' of the downing of a Russian fighter jet. According to the newspaper 'Sabah', Erdogan stated on August 10 at the 'Saint Constantine Palace' in St. Petersburg, 'Today, we understand better than before that Gulenists (the movement and supporters influenced by Fethullah Gulen's thoughts) and their supporting forces targeted the bilateral relations.' The Russian news agency Sputnik reported his remarks as 'Today we understand better than before' that Gulen supporters and 'the powers that support them' have played a role in 'the deterioration of relations between the two sides.' Turkey considers the influential Gulen movement, known as 'Hizmet', a terrorist group and has accused the preacher residing in the U.S. of 'leading' the failed coup attempt on July 15. During the coup, a group of Turkish military personnel took actions against the government for several hours, including controlling parts of roads and television networks, holding the Chief of General Staff under house arrest, and their fighter jets pursuing Erdogan's plane. The Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported Erdogan's remarks in a meeting with businessmen and Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, stating that relations between the two countries were severely damaged last year following the downing of a Russian fighter jet that had entered Turkish airspace. Erdogan referred to that incident as a 'painful event' that cast a 'shadow of darkness over the good and effective relations' between Ankara and Moscow. The meeting between Putin and Erdogan in Russia was the first encounter after the downing of the Russian fighter jet, which was on a mission in Syria, and Ankara claims it entered the airspace of that country. Additionally, this was Erdogan's first foreign trip after the failed coup in Turkey, amid tensions and crises in relations between Ankara and its Western allies. Part of this crisis is due to Western criticism of the reactions and 'widespread purges' in Turkey, and another part is due to the non-extradition of Gulen, who resides in the United States. Fethullah Gulen has denied the accusations against him.