U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has marked the anniversary this week of last year’s failed coup in Turkey, praising the courage of the Turkish people in defending democracy but failing to mention the widespread government crackdown that has followed since. VOA reports.
Speaking Sunday at an oil conference in Istanbul, Tillerson recalled the brief, unsuccessful attempt last July 15 to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He also said the United States sees Turkey as a partner in its push for greater energy security in the region, and “looks forward to engaging with Turkey on projects that will increase global energy security.”
“We’re all here in Istanbul at a momentous time,” Tillerson said. “Nearly a year ago, the Turkish people – brave men and women – stood up against coup plotters and defended their democracy. … The Turkish people exercised their rights under the Turkish constitution, defended their place in a prosperous Turkey, and we remember those who were injured or died in that event.”
The coup failed when thousands of Turks took to the streets, answering President Erdogan’s call to resist the attempt to topple him, which was led by renegade members of the military. More than 240 people, many of them civilians, died that night, which was marked by pitched battles in Ankara between branches of the police and army.