Turkey on Thursday denounced members of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) participating in a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Speaking at the OSCE Ministerial Council in Bratislava, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said the FETÖ terror group tried to destroy Turkey's democracy with its coup attempt in 2016 and condemned the FETÖ members who took part in the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting of the OSCE.
FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which killed 251 people and injured nearly 2,200.
FETÖ was also behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
"This is not a position against civil society; it is not an attempt to limit the participation in the OSCE," he said, adding that Turkey expected the OSCE's help in turbulent times.
He voiced the rules of the OSCE on inviting participants to its meetings and said the Helsinki summit prevents the participation of those who engage in violence or resort to force.
The rule "has either been selectively applied or totally disregarded," he said.
The summit document signed in 1992 by 35 member states covers cooperation, peaceful settlement of disputes and nonintervention in internal affairs.
Turkish, Italian foreign ministers meet in Rome
Çavuşoğlu also met with his Italian counterpart in Rome on Thursday to discuss a number of issues, including bilateral ties, Libya, Syria, the Eastern Mediterranean and Turkey-EU relations.
Çavuşoğlu and Luigi Di Maio met on the sidelines of the Mediterranean Dialogues (MED) conference.
In a tweet, the Italian Foreign Ministry stressed the importance of a frank and constructive dialogue between Rome and Ankara to face strategic challenges.
Di Maio exchanged views on the main regional crises, in particular in Syria and Libya, it said.
Çavuşoğlu is expected to deliver a speech on Friday about Turkey's vision and strategy on issues regarding the Eastern Mediterranean on the sidelines of the conference.
