World leaders have expressed support for Turkey and its democratic institutions today, after government of the country prevented a military coup. They also condemned the organizers and welcomed legal actions, taken by the government of the Turkish Republic to maintain security and stability.
The Guardian presented a round-up of global reaction to the failed coup in Turkey:
Great Britain
The foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, said he had spoken to his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, to underline support for Turkey’s “democratic elected government and institutions” in the wake of the overnight coup attempt.
The Foreign Office is advising Britons in Turkey to stay indoors, avoid public places – especially demonstrations – and remain vigilant.
It says: “The situation now appears quieter in Istanbul, and the bridges across the Bosphorus are reopening. But there are reports of tank fire and small arms fire in Ankara.”
British Airways says it is canceling all flights to and from Turkey on Saturday, but easyJet says it plans to runs its scheduled flights, largely to Turkish resort towns. The budget airline says the schedule “will be kept under continuous review”.
NATO
Nato’s chief says all alliance personnel and military units in Turkey are “safe and secure” following the attempted coup.
Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said in a Twitter post that he had spoken to Nato’s supreme commander, US Army Gen Curtis M Scapparrotti, who “confirms that all Nato personnel and units in Turkey are safe and secure”.
The alliance chief also tweeted that he welcomed “the strong support shown by the people and all political parties to democracy and to the democratically elected government of Turkey”.
Spain
Spain’s acting foreign minister, Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo, condemned the attempted coup, telling Spanish national television that his government completely supports the Turkish government headed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
He said: “Without a doubt we support respecting the constitution and democratically elected institutions, and we condemn all coups without reservation.”
Garcia Margallo spoke by telephone from Mongolia, where he is attending the ASEM Asia-Europe Meeting.
Syrian opposition
The exiled Syrian opposition congratulated the Turkish people for halting the attempted military coup.
The Turkey-based Syrian National Coalition said Turkey has protected its democratic institutions “in the face of dark and desperate attempts that sought to take control of the popular will”.
It says the Turkish people value democracy and “will not let a group of putschists take it away in a desperate attempt to restore military rule”.
Turkey has been one of the main backers of the uprising against the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, and is hosting 2.7 million Syrian refugees.
In the early hours of the attempted coup, celebratory gunfire broke out across Damascus. The government and its supporters view the rebels as terrorists and consider Turkey to be one of their chief sponsors.
Hamas
The Islamic militant group Hamas has congratulated Erdogan for quashing a “vicious” plot to overthrow him.
The Turkish leader has been a staunch supporter of Hamas and a fierce critic of Israel. Hamas says it remembers Turkey’s “wise leadership in supporting the Palestinian people and their cause” and working to lift the blockade on Gaza, the coastal territory ruled by the group.
Hamas supporters took to the streets in several places across the Gaza Strip to celebrate the failure of the coup, raising Turkish flags and posters bearing Erdogan’s image.
Turkey recently restored ties with Israel after a six-year lull following a deadly Israeli naval raid to stop an activist flotilla aiming to breach the Gaza blockade.
Qatar
The Gulf nation of Qatar, which has close ties to Erdogan’s government, was quick to condemn the military coup attempt.
It called the attempted coup a “violation of the constitutional legitimacy” in Turkey and said it supports all legal measures the government takes to maintain security and stability.
The official Qatar News Agency said the ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, has spoken with Erdogan by phone to express Qatar’s support.
Qatar and Turkey have grown increasingly close in recent years, and share similar stances on their support for Syrian rebel groups and the Muslim Brotherhood. The two countries agreed last year to establish a Turkish military base in Qatar.
Iran
Iran said the attempted military coup in Turkey was “doomed to fail”.
The foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as praising the “brave defence by the people of Turkey of their democracy and elected government”.
He said the events in neighbouring Turkey prove “that coup d’état has no place and is doomed to fail in our region”.
Pakistan
An aide to prime minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attempted coup in a statement and said Pakistan “hopes that peace and normalcy will be restored in Turkey”.
Tariq Fatimi also said he had contacted Turkey’s foreign minister to express solidarity with Turkey’s government and democratic institutions.
Pakistan’s main political parties have also praised the people of Turkey for foiling the coup.
Sharif was himself overthrown in a 1999 coup led by Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who ruled Pakistan until 2008.
Azerbaijan
The president of Turkey’s neighbor Azerbaijan condemned the attempted coup.
President Ilham Aliyev was concerned about developments in Turkey and “welcomed measures taken to prevent the attempt at a coup and to stabilise the situation,” spokesman Ali Hasanov said.
Azerbaijan is a Turkic nation and its late president Heydar Aliyev once described their relations as “one nation, two states” – a phrase later echoed by Erdogan.
