UPDATE Attempted Coup in Turkey

Military factions in Turkey attempted to seize control of the country Friday night.

Eugen Cojocariu, 16.07.2016, 03:29

Military factions in Turkey attempted to seize control of the country Friday night. There were indications that military coup leaders did not have the control on many parts of the country. Supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took to the streets of Istanbul to oppose the coup factions, and it seems that some leaders have been arrested. Early Saturday morning, President Recep Tayyp Erdogan flew to Istanbul Ataturk airport, which could be a strong signal that the coup was failing.

Martial law was declared in the country. Social media worked with interruptions or were blocked. President Erdogan used an iPhone app from an undisclosed location to broadcast messages asking the people to resist the coup attempt: “There is no power higher than the power of the people,” he said. Leaders of two opposition political parties, who have been against Erdogan’s government, spoke out the military coup.

The Romanian Foreign Ministry asked Romanian citizens to avoid Turkey the next days and the Romanians being already in this country not to leave their hotels or homes, not to go in public crowded places and to inform themselves about the situation at any moment. A crisis cell was set up to the Foreign Ministry, to assist the Romanian citizens who will ask for assistance and to evaluate the political implications of the situation in Turkey.