The fight against the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) will continue both "at home and abroad," said Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, who spoke while on the second leg of his South American tour in Paraguay on Tuesday. Speaking at a joint press conference with Paraguayan Foreign Minister Eladio Loizaga, Çavuşoğlu said that FETÖ terrorists "will pay the price in every corner of the world where it lies," asserting that Paraguay has shown "tremendous solidarity" with Turkey since the July 15 failed coup attempt last summer.The foreign minister said, "During a meeting in New York, I presented my friend [Loizaga] with information regarding the structure of FETÖ in Paraguay, and he has followed the situation closely ever since." Çavuşoğlu added, "Now, we have updated our list so our cooperation against FETÖ will continue to increase."
On July 15, a small military junta linked to FETÖ attempted to topple the democratically elected government of Turkey and impose martial law. Police officers and military officers loyal to the government along with millions of Turkish civilians managed to thwart the coup attempt in favor of democracy.
A total of 264 people were killed – most of them civilians – and over 1,500 people were injured. Opposition parties united in condemnation of the coup attempt, denouncing it in the harshest terms and underscoring their determination to preserve democracy and the rule of law in the Turkish Republic.
During his visit to Paraguay, Çavuşoğlu signed a Friendship and Cooperation Agreement with his Paraguayan counterpart along with an Air Transportation Agreement.
The foreign minister also noted: "We discussed the launching of Turkish Airlines (THY) flights to Paraguay as well. We would like to congratulate THY for expanding their destinations to include Latin America," Çavuşoğlu added.
Çavuşoğlu began a South American tour on Monday, marking the first ministerial visit to Argentina in 20 years and the ministry's first-ever visit to Paraguay. After visiting Argentina, the foreign minister is scheduled to visit the Dominican Republic and Mexico before returning to Turkey.
