An army group in Turkey declared a coup and martial law saying they had “taken control of the country”. But thousands of peopled heeded a call by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, taking to the streets to oppose the toppling of the government.
Turkish officials said that more than 2,800 military personnel had been detained over the arrested coup that had failed.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for calm. The UN is seeking to clarify the situation.
US President Barack Obama urged all parties in Turkey to back the “democratically-elected” government. Detailing a call between Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry, who in Russia for talks on Syria, the White House said both agreed “all parties in Turkey should support the democratically-elected government of Turkey, show restraint, and avoid any violence or bloodshed”.
In a statement, Russia’s foreign ministry reiterated its readiness for joint constructive work with Turkey’s legitimate leadership.
Britain’s new Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he was “very concerned about the situation unfolding”.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, said “coups have no place in our region and are doomed to fail,” on Twitter. “Deeply concerned about the crisis in Turkey Stability, democracy & safety of Turkish people are paramount. Unity & prudence are imperative,” Zarif added in another tweet.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault condemned the attempted coup, saying he hoped Turkey’s “democracy will emerge strengthened”. “The Turkish population showed its maturity and courage by committing to the respect of its institutions. It paid the price with many victims,” he said in a statement.
The democratic order in Turkey must be respected and all must be done to protect lives, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman said on Twitter. Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier also condemned “any attempts to change the democratic order in Turkey by force”.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg hailed the “strong support” of democracy by the Turkish people. “I welcome the strong support shown by the people and all political parties to democracy and to the democratically elected government of Turkey,” Stoltenberg said on Twitter.
European Council President Donald Tusk called for a swift return to Turkey’s constitutional order.
India’s foreign ministry said it was closely following the developments in Turkey. “India calls upon all sides to support democracy and mandate of the ballot and avoid bloodshed,” the ministry said in a statement.
Qatar “expressed its strong denunciation and condemnation of the military coup attempt, lawlessness, and violation of the constitutional legitimacy in the Republic of Turkey”, according to a foreign ministry statement.
