US Planned Turkey’s Attempted Coup: Russian Analyst
TEHAN (Basirat) – A Russian political expert has accused the US government of being behind an attempted coup in Turkey earlier this month, saying that “Americans either engaged in the coup or were aware of it”.
"The Americans either engaged in the coup or they were aware of it and let it go its way because this action was toward their interests,” Andrew Koribco said in a recent interview with Iranian daily paper SobheSadegh.
Following is the text of the interview:
Basirat: As you know a coup began late on July 15 in Turkey, when a faction of the Turkish military blocked Istanbul’s iconic Bosphorus Bridge and strafed the headquarters of the Turkish intelligence agency and parliament in the capital. The Turkish president rushed back to Istanbul from a Mediterranean holiday and called on people to defy the coup plotters’ orders of a curfew and stage a rally in support of his government.More than 300 people were killed from both sides before the coup was officially declared as a failure.Who or what groups have been involved in the botched putsch?
Koribco: What happened in Turkey was an attempt for a military coup which was of course an unconsidered action and was done in a dilettantish manner. It seemed that the conductors of the coup didn’t have enough time to design the operation. Although this idea and motivation probably have long been in the minds of the conductors, because of the security issues and the need for political influence in high levels, some inability and reluctance existed for sharing the idea with more people and this caused the coup failure.
The very important point in this coup is the scheduling. Everyone knows that there exists a strong opposition against Erdogan in Turkey and the army in this country has always been the protector of the secular values, but the main reason of this coup was the traditional disagreement against Erdogan. One of the reasons of action against Erdogan’s government was the reaction to his efforts to improve the relations between Turkey and Russia; these Erdogan’s actions can influence the region geopolitically. These actions can be closing the borders between Turkey and Syria for the first time after the crisis in Syria and continuing the Turkish Stream pipeline project to the Balkan countries. The renewed alliance between Turkey and Russia can improve the affairs in the Middle East, so it is reasonable that we consider the Americans have great motivations to prevent the alliance between the two countries. The two actions above which are closing the Turkey borders and continuing the Turkish Stream pipeline are completely to the detriment of the Americans.
Documents show that FathollahGulan, who is in the US, might be the leader of this coup or at least had some effects on it. It is accepted for everyone that he cooperates with the security organizations of the US and if we accept that he had engaged in the action, he couldn’t have done it without the awareness of the US. The Americans either engaged in the coup or they were aware of it and let it go its way; because this action was toward their interests.
In order to better understand the aim of the conductors of the coup, we should pay attention to the comments of the designers. They talk about democracy, peace and human rights. These speeches were not about Syria but about the Kurdish regions of Turkey. Meaning that probably the heads of the coup wanted to sign contracts with PKK; a group which is considered a terrorist group by some countries such as Turkey. These contracts were to federalize the Kurdish regions of Turkey and also accept their independence in the future. This phenomenon could have been very dangerous if it had happened.
When these documents are analyzed, we see how much Americans could gain from this coup and what strong motivations they have to prevent the relation improvement between Turkey and Russia. Also they can cause some problems in the region that can put Iran directly under pressure.
On the other hand, Brussels knows that joining Turkey to the European Union is a serious threat for the members and Turkey also knows it well, but Turkey needs to improve the economic cooperation and have stable allies. With abandoning Turkey by the Europeans, this country has no choice except improving relations with Russia.
Basirat: What repercussions might the coup in Turkey have for Syria and Iraq if it were successful?
Koribco: From my view, because Erdogan could stop the coup, he is going to improve the relations with Russia as fast as possible and I think we are going to see a serious decision about closing the Turkey borders with Syria. This action prevents the protection of terrorists in the north of Syria and this can prove the rumor about the engagement of Qatar and Saudi Arabia in the coup. Erdogan has acted against the plans and the wishes of the US and it seems that Americans don’t want him in the power anymore.
