The European Union’s foreign policy chief says foreign ministers on Monday will send a “strong message” that the rule of law and the democratic system of checks and balances must be respected in Turkey following the failure of a military putsch.
Federica Mogherini, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, spoke before a meeting of the bloc’s foreign affairs ministers in Brussels. The ministers will also be meeting for breakfast with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders says Turkish authorities’ reaction to the failed coup needs to be “proportionate.” He says he was alarmed by the arrests of judges and calls for reinstatement of the death penalty against coup participants.
Warplanes have patrolled Turkey’s skies following a failed coup, a sign that authorities fear the threat against the government is not yet over.
A senior official said Monday that F-16 jets guarded the Turkish airspace overnight, after a faction within the military launched an attempted coup late Friday against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government rules.
The coup plotters sent warplanes firing on key government installations and tanks rolling into major cities, but the rebellion was quashed by loyal government forces and masses of civilians who took to the streets. At least 294 people were killed and more than 1,400 wounded.
The state-run news agency, Anadolu, said Erdogan ordered the overnight patrol by F-16s.
Sourced from AP, Featured Image Courtesy: AP
