‘No doubt that Gülen was behind coup attempt,’ says former Swedish PM

Sweden’s former Prime Minister Carl Bildt believes that there is no doubt that Fethullah Gülen and his movement were behind the failed coup attempt in Turkey, Anadolu reported on Friday. He made his comments during a visit to Ankara by a delegation from the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).

“When I saw the coup attempt on television,” said Bildt, “the first suspect that came to my mind was Gülen.” Subsequent developments, he claimed, have revealed “clearly” that Gülen and the organisation he leads were at the centre of the coup.

Bildt and the ECFR delegation met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and told him that the several Turkish and international experts that he has met all have no doubt that Gülen was responsible for the coup. “In my talks both in Turkey and with foreign experts following Turkey, I saw that nobody has any doubt that Gülen was at the centre of the coup attempt,” stressed the former PM.

Representatives of the Gülen movement used to be received in European countries, explained Bildt, without giving names, as if they were official representative of the Turkish government. He noted that the comments of EU officials post-coup should have been followed by setting a timetable for future visits to Turkey.

Bildt hailed the Turkish-EU refugee deal, saying that it lessened a heavy burden. He also hoped that the outstanding issues related to the delay in Turkey joining the EU would be resolved very soon. There are many issues held in common by Europe and Turkey, he added.