Turkey will not interfere in Bangladesh’s internal matters, its ambassador says

Turkey’s Islamist government, having barely survived a failed coup attempt, has apparently softened up on Bangladesh’s war crimes trial.

On Tuesday, it ambassador in Dhaka said Ankara does not want to interfere in Bangladesh's domestic issues.

At a media briefing, Devrim Ozturk condemned the brutal murder of Bangladesh’s founding father on Aug 15, 1975 and expressed his “gratitude” to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for supporting the Turkish democracy during the Jul 15 coup attempt.

“It’s a misunderstanding. We did not have any intention to interfere in your domestic matters,” he responded, when asked about Turkey’s reservations about the ongoing war crimes trial.

He returned to his assignment from Ankara on Aug 12, three months after he left for “consultations” following the execution of war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami.

President Tayyip Erdogan had condemned the execution of Jamaat-e-Islami chief Nizami, who was convicted for crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, and recalled the ambassador on May 12.

The envoy said this gesture was “just against the capital punishment” as Turkey had abolished it.

“We have strong historic relations with Bangladesh and it is my priority to work on the existing relations,” he said.

“Our approach to Bangladesh is something cordial. We are always with our Bangladeshi brothers and sisters.”

He insisted that the comments on war crimes trial should be taken as a “friendly advice, not an insult to the country”.

“We don’t have any reservation with the current government,” the ambassador also made it clear.

But he added that they have relations with all “legal” political parties in Bangladesh including Jamaat-e-Islami.

Ambassador Ozturk met journalists to brief them on the coup attempt that he said was carried out by ‘the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation or FETO’, which is led by the US-based preacher Fetullah Gulen.

Following the attempt, the Erdogan government has detained as many as 35,022 people including half of army generals.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu earlier said three officials from Bangladesh had also fled to escape post-coup inquiry.

The ambassador, however, said of them two were a couple who they suspect were linked with the FETO as they did not report to Ankara after they had left Dhaka.

The other official has already reported to Ankara, he said, without giving further details about their names and positions they held in the embassy.

He expressed Turkey’s “gratitude” to the Bangladesh government and the people who had shown their “solidarity at the highest level” with the people of Turkey after the coup attempt that targeted democracy.

He drew similarities between the coup attempt and the killing of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and termed the murder 41 years ago the “saddest chapter” in Bangladesh’s history.

The ambassador said it had its “ripple effects” on the development of democracy and democratic institutions in Bangladesh for decades to follow.

“On the night of July 15, Turkey achieved to avert a similar turnaround in its history.”

He called upon all countries including Bangladesh to prevent all activities of FETO.

He said they would work with the Bangladeshi authorities on the two Turkish Hope schools which are reportedly run by the Fetullah Gulen’s followers.

“I think the administration should be changed,” the envoy said, when asked whether they would ask the government to close those schools.