The U.S. Department of State has rejected high-ranking Turkish officials' accusations of Washington's involvement in the coup attempt in 2016 and believes that such statements contradict the allied relations between the two countries.
"The United States had no involvement in the 2016 attempted coup in Turkey and promptly condemned it. Recent assertions to the contrary made by senior Turkish officials are wholly false," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a press release.
Earlier, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu accused the United States of being the mastermind behind the 2016 failed military coup in Turkey. It was not the first time the minister spoke on US alleged role in the coup attempt, as just days after the events he talked about it on Turkish TV.
Price said claims of the United States' responsibility for events in Turkey are inconsistent with Turkey's status as a NATO ally and U.S. strategic partner.
The failed attempt to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was launched in July 2016 by a faction within the Turkish armed forces. It lasted less than two days, but left at least 250 people killed and more than 2,000 others injured. Thousands of people were arrested and tens of thousands more were dismissed from work over their alleged ties to FETO, including those among the country's military, intelligence services, and law enforcement.
