Turkey’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the Myanmar military for carrying out a coup d'etat while urging military authorities to release all politicians and civilians detained as part of the takeover.
In a statement released Monday, the ministry said Turkey opposes all types of coups and military interventions.
The statement continued by saying that Turkey expects the military to "immediately" release all politicians and civilians being detained and the lifting of all obstacles for elected officials and democratic institutions, as well as convening a new parliament elected by the people.
"We hope that this grave development does not further deteriorate the situation of Rohingya Muslims living in dire conditions in Myanmar," the ministry added.
Myanmar's military carried out a coup on Monday and detained political and civilian figures, including de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi just hours before a newly elected parliament was due to convene. Suu Kyi urged people to defy the coup and protest the military takeover.
Turkey also thwarted a military take over by the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) linked putschists in the military on July 15, 2016.
On the night of July 15, 2016, a small military junta formed by FETÖ members tried to overthrow the democratically elected government and assassinate President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was on holiday in the Marmaris district of southwestern Muğla province.
Coup plotters, who used heavy weaponry, including fighter jets, helicopters and tanks, against pro-democracy citizens that poured onto streets, killed 251 people and wounded nearly 2,200.
The coup attempt, which was the first in almost two decades in coup-prone Turkey, saw FETÖ's military infiltrators try to seize power. The attempt was thwarted thanks to strong public resistance.
Turkey's embassy in the Southeast Asian country warned Turkish citizens Monday not to venture outdoors or travel unless necessary.
In a written statement, the embassy in Naypyidaw noted that a state of emergency had been declared in the country and that the armed forces had seized power.
It said Vice President Myint Swe had been appointed acting president and added: "It is understood that many senior government officials were detained, television channels and mobile lines were cut across the country, and wireless internet access was restricted/cut off in some regions."
The embassy also advised the Turkish community to follow developments through local channels and avoid crowded areas.
Turkish citizens in Myanmar can reach the embassy via emergency phone lines, as well as through Twitter and Facebook, as long as the telephone lines are available.
