Turkey To Hire 20000 Teachers Following Coup Attempt

Members of Turkey’s ruling and main opposition parties are rallying together in support of democracy and to condemn the bloody coup attempt July 15.

It is expected to be ratified by parliament, where his party holds the majority.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said when he meets Mr. Simsek this weekend he’ll express “the great concern in Germany and everywhere in Europe that what is happening in Turkey is not in line with what we understand as democracy and the rule of law”.

The political instability has deepened at a time when the government is fighting a renewed war with Kurdish separatists and is grappling with spillover from the conflict in neighboring Syria, including attacks by Islamic State militants.

“The Turkish republic is stronger than it was in the past”, wrote Yildirim in an editorial in the HaberTurk daily.

This past week it became quite clear that the European Union has lost its influence over Turkey and its power to get it to stay in line by using the carrot/stick of EU membership. “This watch continues until the anti-democratic elements are cleaned out”. In a crackdown on Gulen’s suspected followers, more than 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, civil servants and teachers have been suspended, detained or placed under investigation.

The failed coup attempt, which began last Friday, was crushed the next day; at least 290 people, including more than 100 “coup plotters”, were killed, authorities said.

He told France 24 on Saturday that Turkey has no choice but to impose stringent security measures after the attempted coup was put down by loyalist forces and civilian protesters.

After rounding up almost 300 officers of the presidential guard over suspected links to the coup, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced that Turkey planned to disband the 2,500-strong unit, saying there is “no need” for the elite regiment.

Some of the soldiers who seized state broadcaster TRT during the attempted coup came from the presidential guard unit, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told Anadolu state news agency.

In his decree, published by the Anadolu state news agency, Mr Erdogan also extended to a maximum of 30 days from four days the period in which some suspects can be detained.

Obama denies any USA involvement in Turkey coup bid President Barack Obama on Friday denied any U.S. role in Turkey’s failed coup and insisted that an extradition request for a US-based Muslim cleric accused of orchestrating the putsch would have to go through normal channels.

Turkey has argued that European Union leaders simply do not understand the seriousness of the threat to Turkish democracy.

The Armed Forces Chief of General Staff, General Hulusi Akar, described the renegade soldiers as “the vile, uniformed traitors (who) damaged our country, people and our armed forces in a major way. They will face serious punishment”. State Department spokesman John Kirby said Thursday the USA has offered to send a team to Turkey, or host a Turkish delegation, to assist the processing of the request.

The article published on Thursday in USA -based magazine The Atlantic, which is headlined “How Erdogan Made Turkey Authoritarian Again”, overlooks the people’s struggle to protect the country’s democracy, rushing to the streets to stop the illegal coup attempt, but rather says it “would not have brought an end to Turkey’s democracy”.

Gulen denies being behind the failed coup.