Erdogan pledges to 'root out' FETO from Balkans
Turkey accuses FETO of a long-running campaign to overthrow the government through infiltrating Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.
President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech as Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (L) stand next to him during their visit to southern Muslim-majority city of Novi Pazar, Serbia on October 11, 2017.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday pledged to eliminate the presence of a network dubbed by Turkish authorities as the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO) from the Balkans.
"We will root out this traitorous gang called FETO from the Balkans as we have done in Turkey," Erdogan said in Novi Pazar, Serbia, during an official two-day visit to the country.
Speaking alongside his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic, he mentioned Turkey's efforts against FETO in the wake of a defeated coup attempt against the Turkish government on July 15, 2016.
Ankara accuses FETO and the network's US-based leader Fetullah Gulen of allegedly being behind the coup bid which left 250 people dead and some 2,200 injured.
Before the failed coup, FETO and its members were accused of running a parallel shadow government after gaining control of state institutions which included the military and the judiciary.
Copyright © 2024 TRT World.