It can be said that one of the leading reasons for the crisis between the EU and Turkey over the past year is the July 15 coup attempt organized by the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). Turkish democracy overcame a great threat while repelling this insurrection. Turkish civilians successfully and heroically defended their democracy by resisting the jets, helicopters, and tanks of putschist troops with only Turkish flags in their hands. Dozens of people were killed. Parliament was bombed and police department and military buildings were substantially damaged.
FETÖ-affiliated military officers, who were proven to have organized the coup attempt in trials, targeted civilians both young and old, women and men. They even tried to assassinate President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Almost all those involved in the coup were apprehended. Yet, a few of them fled to several EU countries, including Greece, Germany and Belgium.
European countries that supported resistances in the past when people stood up against tanks in Hungary and China remained silent regarding the insurrection in Turkey. For some reason, they did not side with the Turkish citizens who defended democracy. Turkish democracy was not defended and the peoples' resistance was not supported even though EU values necessitate siding with the resistance.
How would the EU have reacted had the coup attempt succeeded that night? This question remains unanswered, beclouding the sympathy felt for the EU. Some representatives of the EU and EU countries paid a couple of visits to Turkey after months of silence and issued tepid condemnations of the coup attempt. However, they granted asylum to some FETÖ members involved in the coup attempt. Transnational cooperation in the fight against terrorism has never been considered FETÖ's case. The terrorists who found asylum in European countries freely maintain their propaganda activities under the protection of the countries they fled to.
For this reason, the EU, and particularly the EU countries granting asylum to FETÖ militants, drew a reaction from many Turkish people. Sympathy for the EU rightfully turned into antipathy. Turkey's relations with Greece, Germany and Belgium were undermined as the countries provided FETÖ militants with opportunities.
Following this, the EU has just missed a great chance to restore trust with Turkey. European Parliament members and national parliament members of EU countries have taken no interest in the FETÖ trials conducted in Turkey, although they usually send observers to trials of pro-PKK figures and journalists charged with espionage.
Aside from the trials that have been ongoing for months, they have not even shown any interest in the latest trial ongoing for a week in Ankara, where the commanders who ordered soldiers to open fire and the pilots who bombed or opened fire on state buildings during the atrocious coup attempt are being tried.
Where is European Parliament's Turkey rapporteur, or others? Why do the ambassadors or representatives of EU countries who were at the doors of the courts until recently not follow the FETÖ trials now?
Those claiming that there is not enough evidence regarding FETÖ can find answers to the questions they raise if they follow the trials and listen to the confessions of defendants.
The fact that no European observer follows the trials raises suspicions that some EU countries might be behind this atrocity.
Brussels and EU country representatives persistently refuse assigning observers to the trials, which continues to undermine Turkish-EU relations.
I would like to ask once again where the European observers are and invite them to watch the trials. I suggest they watch and see what kind of terrorists they granted asylum to.