Not deliberate if Turkey makes mistakes in post-coup security: PM Yıldırım

ANKARA

AP photo

It is not deliberate if Turkey makes some mistakes when going after the hundreds of thousands of people suspected of links to the Gülen Movement under the U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, accused of orchestrating the July 2016 failed coup attempt, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said on Feb. 2. 

In a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Ankara, the premier said the country would not act in motivation of revenge while implementing its post-coup security.

Yıldırım also said Ankara needed more support from Berlin in fight with the Fethullahist Terror Organization, warning that terror organizations inside European countries might become a threat for all of Europe in the future.

In this sense, he underlined that the security of Europe was passing through Turkey both in terms of immigration and terror, acting as "a preventive country."

The premier also praised Germany’s contribution in fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadist group, while noting that it was common responsibility to clear terror organizations in the region.

In addition, Merkel stressed that Berlin was taking action against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as a terror organization and that the interior ministries of both countries would continue to be in cooperation on that issue.

She also said the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump seemed to be making the fight against international terrorism a top priority, adding that there was a lot of continuity between the old and new U.S. governments in this regard.

Meanwhile, the chancellor said Germany would accept 500 refugees every month while supporting Turkey and sharing the burden as a part of the EU deal with the country.