Doğu Perinçek, the chairman of the neo-nationalist Homeland Party (VP), has reiterated that his party officials informed Justice and Development Party (AKP) government under the rule of autocratic President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan about a possible coup attempt a day before the controversial coup attempt on July 15, 2016.
Giving an interview to Eşref Aydoğmuş for online news outlet Ahval, on Tuesday, Perinçek has said that first he heard about the coup preparations from the VP’s Vice Chairman ret-Colonel Hasan Atilla Uğur. Perinçek said that “On that day (July 14, 2016) Atilla Uğur would have an interview with (pro-government) Yeni Şafak newspaper. Atilla Uğur had said me that ‘A FETÖ coup is expected until the Supreme Council of Military (YAŞ) that would gather at the end of July in 2016.’ I asked Atilla Uğur to share this information with Yeni Şafak daily during his interview, too. He gave all these intelligence during Yeni Şafak interview. I also requested him to give this intelligence to the government.”
“But, is it possible that what has been known by Atilla Uğur has not been known by the National Intelligence Organization (MİT)?” asked Perinçek and continued “Later, Aleksander Dugin came to us two days before July 15, 2016. He came as our guest over our invitation. Meanwhile, he had appointments with the President Erdoğan’s advisors and (Ankara Mayor) Melih Gökçek. He had also meting with Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım. Dugin had said us that ‘We (Russian state) have determined a mobility within the Turkish army.’ I also requested him to convey this information to the AKP administrators and to the government during his planned meetings with the officials from the ruling party and the government. After his meetings, he came back and meet me again and said me that he shared the intelligence with the Turkish government officials. Dugin has conveyed this information not only to Melih Gökçek on July 14, 2016 but also to Tayyip Erdoğan’s Chief Advisors.”
Saying that Dugin had official appointments with two or three advisors of President Erdoğan, and these were official meetings, Perinçek has stated that “These are in the records of the state. More importantly, let me tell you that we had distributed 400,000 leaflets in Turkey on July 1, 2016, 15 days before the coup (attempt). In the first article of this declaration we openly wrote that the US is in the process of a power design and in an attempt to make that in illegitimate ways.”
Perinçek has also claimed that Turkey has already severed its relations with the “Atlantic system.” “Turkey can no longer go back to the Atlantic system. Because Atlantic system means division of Turkey. It means the establishment of Kurdistan as the second Israel. And it means to drown of Turkey in the swamp of debt,” said Perinçek and added that “Turkey has been confronted with NATO and the United States. In order to improve its economy and its security, it is a must for Turkey now to face the threats coming from there. The friends of Turkey are now Iran, Iraq, Syria, Russia, China and Turkish Republics in the Central Asia. Turkey knocking the door of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).”
Turkey survived a controversial military coup attempt on July 15, 2016 that killed 249 people. Immediately after the putsch, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government along with President Erdoğan pinned the blame on the Gülen movement.
Gülen, who inspired the movement, strongly denied having any role in the failed coup and called for an international investigation into it, but President Erdoğan — calling the coup attempt “a gift from God” — and the government initiated a widespread purge aimed at cleansing sympathizers of the movement from within state institutions, dehumanizing its popular figures and putting them in custody.
Turkey has suspended or dismissed more than 150,000 judges, teachers, police and civil servants since July 15. Turkey’s Interior Minister announced on December 12, 2017 that 55,665 people have been arrested. Previously, on December 13, 2017, The Justice Ministry announced that 169,013 people have been the subject of legal proceedings on coup charges since the failed coup.
