The coup attempt united the people and the state is now stronger than before July 15, all Turkish officials who addressed a group of twenty journalists from the Balkans agreed.
"Speculations that Erdogan organized the coup are nonsense because all the evidence points to Gülen," said Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for the Turkish president.
For the events of July 15, when the army tried to seize power, Turkey accuses cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former ally of President Tayyip Erdogan.
"In Turkey, there is a consensus against Gülen, in the whole society, everyone sees what the Gülen cult is. They are almost defeated here, so they transfer funds elsewhere," Kalin told us at the presidential palace in Ankara.
In the coup attempt, 240 people died and more than two thousand were wounded.
Turkish officials warn that the "unprecedented terrorist threat" will not bypass the other countries where the so-called FETO organization is active.
"The Gilenists are a threat to the national security of all countries in which they operate," says Kalin.
Mehmet Akarca, advisor to Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, says that the Turkish authorities have asked for help from all countries where the Gilenists operate under the guise of educational institutions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration told "Vijesti" that the Turkish authorities never contacted the Embassy of Montenegro in this regard.
The head of the Islamic community, Rifat Fejzić, did not answer the questions of "News" about the activities of Fetullah Gilen's organizations in Montenegro and what specific danger they pose to our country.
The home for students in Rožaje, behind which Gilen's men stood, did not start operating this school year. Fejzić previously said that the activity of the Gilenists in Montenegro is negligible compared to the influence in the surrounding countries, but he assessed that they must be subject to monitoring. He said that in Podgorica they are holding a course in "some foreign language". There is unofficial information about the activities of people associated with Gilen in Ulcinj.
Turkey has labeled Gülen, who lives in the US, as the leader of a secretive cult - FETO (Fetullah Gülen Terrorist Organization), which he founded in the early 1970s as a movement providing education and doing humanitarian work. It is, they say, just a mask, and the real goal of the organization, which presents itself as the Hizmet movement, is to infiltrate its members into key state structures and wait until they completely take control. It first expanded its network in Turkey and is now present in 160 countries around the world.
Followers see him as the "imam of the universe" and claim he is the messiah, Erdogan's spokesman says.
The Turkish authorities claim that Gilen is a preacher without education, ie. that he only finished elementary school.
It presents itself as a representative of moderate Islam against the violent extremism of the Islamic State and Al Qaeda, explains Ibrahim Kalin.
"No other terrorist organization can be compared to FETO," says Akarca, a former journalist and now director general of the Turkish Republic's Press and Information Directorate.
When asked how they didn't know for so long if Gülen and Erdogan were friends, Akarča says that they thought that Gülenists were only engaged in educational activities. "It's betrayal in the worst way, when a friend betrays you. You never know where the danger is coming from.”
Erdogan and Gülen were allies until 2013, a major corruption scandal in Turkey, when an investigation was opened against people from Erdogan's close circle. At the time, Erdogan said that the investigation was an attempt by Gülen at a "judicial coup".
"Since 2013, it was known that Guillen was a threat and measures were taken, but it was not enough," says Kalin.
Three weeks after the coup, Erdogan apologized to a group of local officials in Ankara for once being an ally of Gulen. "I am sad that I did not reveal the true face of that treacherous organization long ago," the Turkish president said.
However, he did not owe him. In an unprecedented purge, Turkish authorities have arrested more than 15 people and dismissed or suspended 37.000 civil servants, judges, prosecutors, police and others since July 100.000.
After the coup attempt in Turkey, 170 dailies, magazines, TV stations and news agencies were shut down, leaving 2.500 journalists without work, the Turkish Journalists' Association announced.
Currently, 105 journalists are in prison awaiting trial.
Evaluating that this is a small number compared to about 15 journalists in the country, Akarča says that all those found to be innocent will be released. He claims that only those for whom there is strong evidence against them are detained and that different political views are not the reason for someone to end up behind bars.
"Underdeveloped Western economies are spreading lies about Turkey." At the same time, they do not offer help to refugees," accuses Akarča. When asked if he is disappointed with the relationship between the US and the EU, he says that they are behaving as Turkey expects - not disappointing, but funny.
He assessed that the US is not extraditing Guillen because "his testimony would be inconvenient for many countries in the world."
Ibrahim Kalin believes that Hillary Clinton, if she becomes the head of the USA, will take this issue seriously because she knows Turkey well, and they have a common interest in the fight against terrorism, energy, the region...
"It will be expensive for the US if they continue like this and give the impression that for some reason they are protecting the main suspect in the coup attempt. I hope that after the elections, they will change their direction".
Regarding the speculation that some "foreign force" is behind the coup, Kalin says that it is a "combination of interests".
Regarding the speculation that some "foreign power" is behind the coup, Kalin says that it is a "combination of interests"
Regarding the West's relationship with Turkey, he draws a parallel with the coup in Egypt, "where the West did not react because it suited them."
"In 10 months, they turned Morsi into a dictator," says Kalin. He sees this as the cause of the demonization of Muslims and the rise of Islamophobia in Europe.
"To justify racist, right-wing politics in Europe, they need an enemy. Muslims present themselves as evil."
In his opinion, the European policy towards refugees is a total collapse of morality and humanity. He says that Turkey will continue to accept refugees from Syria and Iraq, but that the agreement with the European Union will fail if it does not fulfill its part - visa liberalization for Turkish citizens.
In other countries, the systems would fail, and Turkey is now stronger than before the coup, adds Kalin, pointing out that Turkey has a higher economic growth than both Germany and France. He is also optimistic about tourism, which is returning to normal after the improvement of relations with Russia.
Kalin announced a referendum on a new constitution in the coming months, which would introduce a presidential system, as the opposition nationalist MHP said it would not oppose a popular vote on the issue.
Erdogan has long wanted an executive presidency, Turkey's version of the US or French system, saying the country needs strong leadership. His opponents fear that this change would mean the spread of authoritarian rule.
"You are probably wondering why so many were detained and dismissed, but the response to the coup attempt is proportionate to the cruelty of what happened that night," said Kalin, the Turkish president's right-hand man.
Kalin, who completed his doctoral studies at George Washington University, believes that the Western media do not give a complete picture of the situation in Turkey.
The delegation of journalists from the Balkans was the tenth to visit his country after the coup.
When asked by "Vijesti" what is the main goal of the Turkish authorities - to warn us of the dangers that threaten our countries from the Gilenists or to convince us that they are doing the right thing after the coup, Kalin answered "both".
"We hope you can feel the pulse of the country after the coup and see what people think about it. Don't just listen to me," says Kalin at the end of a 40-minute presentation in perfect English.
Like Podgorica on the eve of May 21, the streets of Istanbul and Ankara are flooded with flags, only of better quality. Billboards with the image of Ataturk and Erdogan at every step testify to the pumping of patriotism.
Judging by the atmosphere in Istanbul's Taksim Square and in the pedestrian Istiklal Street - bustle, loud music, happy ice cream vendors - close to midnight, one would not say that a state of emergency is in force and the citizens say that everything is as before.
The impression, however, is different in the historic center of Sultanahmet, the main tourist area, where there are no crowds these days. The Turkish language prevails in the famous Kapala bazaar. On the window of one of the souvenir shops near the bazaar, there is a large inscription "50 % DISCOUNT". The seller says that they are going to close the shop because there are no tourists. "I wouldn't come either if I were them," he says resignedly.
When asked what he thought of President Erdogan, he answered like out of the blue: "I hate him!". Refusing to elaborate, he simply said, "It's my choice."
We have no territorial pretensions, our mental geography stretches from the Balkans to North Africa
Erdogan recently criticized the Lausanne Treaty (which defined the borders of modern Turkey) because they gave up some Aegean islands in favor of Greece and he also mentioned the historical connection with Mosul, Iraq.
When asked by "Vijesta" if this means that Erdogan has territorial claims, Kalin says: "We don't have any territorial claims, but we need to know the historical background and the political consequences today." They tell us to forget history, but that territory belonged to us 100 years ago. We don't want the Greek islands back, but no one can say that we don't care about those islands or about Mosul. If the Americans can travel 10.000 km to that area, it makes no sense to say that we have no right to interfere in things in our neighborhood because we are paying the price. Unfortunately, they want Turkey to bear the burden, but not have a say at the table".
Erdogan raised the issue because some at home criticize him for starting the intervention in Mosul or why he would interfere in the situation in Aleppo, explains Kalin.
"If we don't intervene in Aleppo, another million refugees could come to Turkey, or if we don't pay attention to Mosul, hundreds of thousands of people could come towards us..." Kalin says that Turkey accepts the existing borders, but stresses that apart from the official, there is also a mental geography, "which is much bigger.
"Our mental geography stretches from the Balkans to North Africa." This is not only the case with Turkey, but everyone is trying to overcome the borders of nation states in order to connect politically, culturally, etc. At a time when, due to globalization, national borders are less important, Turkey also sees things that way."
Hiding beliefs and identities
Kalin said that there are probably still "sleeper cells" in Turkey and that the Gilenists are good at hiding their identities.
He explained the phenomenon of taqiya, hiding one's true beliefs and identity, which Sunni Islam has always viewed with great suspicion and which Shiites sometimes practice.
Sunnis were only allowed to use taqiyyah in extreme circumstances, if it would save their lives. Shiites have a different attitude because they feel that they have been oppressed and persecuted throughout history.
In Guilen's case, the idea of takiya is omnipresent, says Kalin.
He claims that it is a misconception that Guillen's schools offer education to the poor, because they are expensive and always choose the best - the children of the rich and politically influential. They blackmail the people they put in positions by taking a percentage of their earnings.
"I am ready to sacrifice my child for peace and the country"
In Ankara and Istanbul, we had the opportunity to meet the people who were injured in the coup attempt, the so-called "martyrs of July 15".
Rifat Ozer (62), a pensioner from Ankara, says he survived three coups, "but none like this one." In a conversation with journalists, he recalled that after they heard what was happening on TV, 30-40 of them went to the street in front of the presidential complex.
In the meantime, they heard Erdogan's call. There were three tanks in front of the compound, ready to fire.
"We tried to convince them not to shoot because we are a family," says Rifat. "Then the helicopters opened fire." I heard my wife screaming. There were people on earth without body parts". He got nine bullets in his legs. When they heard that Turkish Radio and Television was attacked, they realized that it was a rebellion carried out by FETO and started by the CIA, he says. "We decided to resist at the cost of our lives. Better to die than to live without freedom.”
His wife Mine Ozer (61) says that the country has gone through dark days.
"We realized that the soldiers who tried to carry out the coup were our children and grandchildren, who became terrorists that night." She says that the soldiers did not listen to her request not to shoot and she was wounded in the arm. When she woke up in the hospital, she didn't know what was happening. The nurse told her that the Turkish nation had won the fight.
"It doesn't matter if we die, but that we leave the land to our children," says Mina.
Muamer Polat, 27, says he left his wife and children at home and went out that evening because he did not want Turkey to become the new Iraq or Syria. "I am fighting for the country and the nation against the CIA and imperialism". All three are categorical that they would do the same again and that it is an honor for them to receive the status of a martyr.
In Istanbul, after the coup, the 15th of July Organization was formed, whose head tells us that the state helps the victims financially. One of the injured said that when he started to confront the soldiers, he forgot about his 18-year-old daughter who was with him. "I would sacrifice a child for the country and peace," he said.
It is particularly difficult for journalists to be up to the task
One of the media that the coup plotters tried to conquer was CNN Turk Television (no editorial connection with CNN, just using the name), whose reporter called Erdogan that night.
Then he called the people to the streets via the Facetime application. Editor Ališer Delek says that as a citizen he is ashamed that this happened in 2016, and that as a journalist he is proud that they were up to the task and did not interrupt the program.
He told how the soldiers broke into the newsroom, ordered them to stop the program, but the journalists outsmarted them, saying that what they see on the screens is only broadcast internally.
The situation with press freedom has never been great in Turkey, especially after the coup and the introduction of the state of emergency, the restrictions are felt, Delek told us.
He says that, unfortunately, there are journalists in prison who ended up there only for criticizing the government. Delek told us that it was the editorial decision of his TV company to call Guillen's organization terrorist.
When asked if they tried to contact the priest, who lives in Pennsylvania, he answered in the negative. "It's the same as September 11, 2001 in the USA. Can you imagine if they called Osama bin Laden for an interview then".
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