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Though the Turkish government has detained thousands in connection with the coup, there is still the unanswered question of who is to blame. With all this uncertainty and following two days of violence, the Turkish government is now seeking to bring some stability back to the nation.
Following two days of unrest - Turkey seems to be calm. The streets of Istanbul including Taksim Square have all cleared. This area is usually very crowded on a Sunday - as you can see behind me - all the restaurants are empty.
Though there is calm now - whether or not it's sustainable is a different question When Turkish President Erdogan called on his supporters to defy the coup attempt on Friday - crowds quickly turned violent. Now, Turkish Prime Minister appears to be seeking some stability
"Let's restrain ourselves from overreacting with excitement following the events. The Turkish military is our future, is our security. Let us not act in ways that damage our military forces," Turkish PM Binali Yildirim said.
Yet it's not only internal politics that the coup attempt has stirred; Turkey - U.S. relations are under stress as well.
The Turkish government has accused Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen of being behind the coup attempt. Gulen, a former close ally of Erdogan is living in self-exile in the U.S. and is now labeled as a terrorist.
Ankara has called on the U.S. to extradite Gulen. Yet, U.S. officials emphasized the need for formal procedures. Erdogan was quick to respond -
"Through our Foreign Ministry and Justice Ministry - we will make the necessary requests in writing both to the United States and to Western countries, then we'll wait and see their stances," Erdogan said.
If as declared, Turkey does make the formal request and presents legitimate evidence connecting Fethullah Gulen to this coup attempt - it will be critical to see what the U.S. will do and how this will affect the close NATO allies who have a strategic partnership in the region. Especially, in the fight against ISIL.
中国全民传媒网摘编：GAN JADE |
