U.S. Secretary of State Praises Resistance Against Turkey's Coup in Istanbul

Rex Tillerson, the U.S. Secretary of State, has traveled to Istanbul to meet with his Turkish counterpart and other officials. Mr. Tillerson praised the citizens' resistance and the failure of the coup attempt in Turkey last year. On July 9, after a trip to Ukraine, Tillerson arrived in Istanbul. In his initial remarks at an oil conference in the city, he did not mention the events following the failed coup, including arrests, dismissals, and the Ankara government's reactions. The U.S. Secretary of State stated, 'We are all here at a very important time. Nearly a year ago, the people of Turkey, brave men and women, stood against the coup conspiracy and defended their democracy.' The failed coup in Turkey occurred on July 15, 2016; on that Friday night, a number of Turkish military forces attempted to seize power through a military coup. The coup attempt was thwarted in less than a day, resulting in dozens of deaths and the arrest of several leaders involved. Following this, the Turkish government identified Fethullah Gülen, a critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his allies, as the mastermind behind the coup and labeled his movement a 'terrorist group.' Gülen, who resides in the United States, has denied these accusations. The U.S. has so far not accepted Ankara's requests to extradite Gülen. Concurrently with Tillerson's visit and his speech in Istanbul, 'hundreds of thousands' of Erdoğan's opponents were marching in Istanbul. The Turkish government described this rally, organized by Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the Republican People's Party, as 'propaganda,' and Erdoğan accused Kılıçdaroğlu of supporting the coup plotters and 'terrorists.' On Sunday, upon his arrival in Istanbul, Tillerson met with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, and was scheduled to discuss with the Turkish President afterward. Neither Tillerson nor Erdoğan spoke with reporters prior to this meeting. In this context, 'hundreds of thousands of Erdoğan's opponents' in Istanbul demanded 'justice.'