Terrorism has no nationality, race, or religion.... Fethullah Gulen's organization threatens humanity

Written by: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu
On the evening of July 15, 2016, the "Fetullah Terrorist Organization" staged a coup attempt against the people and government of Turkey. Their goal was to establish a radical, extremist regime loyal only to their leader, Fethullah Gulen. Units of the Turkish army affiliated with the Fethullah terrorist organization left military headquarters with the aim of controlling key sites in the country, such as the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, and fighter jets and attack helicopters bombed strategic targets including the parliament headquarters, the presidential complex, and army and police headquarters; Thousands of civilians took to the streets to stop the coup attempt. They killed 251 innocent civilians and injured thousands. That night the Turkish people defended democracy. This heroic response was something the conspirators did not expect.
To understand what happened that night, we must understand the truth about the Fathullah terrorist organization, which was founded in the late 1960s on the basis that it was a religious movement, under the guise of promoting education and interfaith dialogue, and managed to cover its malicious intentions.
Members of the Fathullah Terrorist Organization infiltrated widely with the help of the army, police, judiciary and ministries including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs many years ago, and their plans were implemented on the night of July 15, 2016.
Had their attempted coup succeeded, Turkey would have become a very different country than it is today. If democracy would not exist, and basic rights and freedoms would be suspended indefinitely, Turkey would have fallen into the hands of an extremist government.
The Fethullah Terrorist Organization controlled a large number of educational institutions and financial institutions, they were financially supported and money transferred to their bank accounts by prominent members of the Gulen Organization, who lured innocent civilians by manipulating them to join their organization.

In the aftermath of the bloody coup attempt of July 15, 2016, Turkey began a resolute purge of government sectors, including ministries and the army, as well as the private sector of all individuals and companies affiliated with the FETO. Some of the prominent conspirators were arrested, and others were able to escape from justice and flee to foreign countries. The head of the FETÖ terrorist organization, Fethullah Gülen, still resides in the United States. Our government has been calling for years to extradite Gülen to Turkey, and to extradite members of the FETÖ organization living in Europe. , but unfortunately, these requests have not yet been met.
The nature and scope of Turkey's fight against the FETÖ is not different from that of other countries against organizations that carry out terrorist acts against their own citizens and officials alike, and that endanger democratic values, basic rights, and freedoms.
What Turkey is doing against the Gulen Organization is the same thing that those countries have done in their wars against terrorism, and all that Turkey is doing is in accordance with the law.
Terrorism has no nationality, race or religion. This danger threatens humanity. Therefore, the response to this threat must be unified and firm. No country has the luxury of distinguishing between terrorist organizations, and no terrorist organization can be classified as "useful" according to personal interests.
The FETÖ is responsible for killing hundreds of lives and serious crimes against the Turkish people. Six years after their coup attempt, Turkey continues its resolute war against the FETÖ, just as it continues its war against other terrorist organizations such as the PKK, the People's Protection Units, and the DFLP. Revolutionary People's Liberation and ISIS.
We expect the international community to stand in solidarity with Turkey in its fight against terrorism.