Türkiye urges Indonesia to alert against FETO

Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: The Turkish government has urged Indonesian authorities to continue to remain alert against the activities of the Fethullah Güllen Terrorist Organization (FETO), saying the organization poses a threat not only to Turkey, but also Indonesia.

FETO is a sui generis religious cult-like organization that has anointed a cleric named Fethullah Güllen as its supreme leader. On July 15, 2016, the group carried out a coup attempt by bombing Turkish state buildings.

“On the evening of July 15, under the leadership of our President, we managed to thwart FETO’s treachery,” Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan, said during the Democracy and National Unity Day commemoration ceremony at the Turkish Embassy here on Saturday.

“This is thanks to our people who jump to the street and our security forces who are loyal to the country and the republic,” he added.

The attack claimed 251 lives and injured more than 2 thousand people.

Since then, the fight against FETO, both inside and outside the country, has become one of the main priorities of the Turkish government.

According to the Turkish Embassy, the government’s monitoring of the outfit has also led it to find that Indonesia is among the countries where FETO-related structures and elements exist.

While the Turkish Embassy has taken action to thwart FETO’s activities in Indonesia, the terror outfit is still largely active in the country, with its members continuing their agenda through economic, cultural, and academic activities, such as running restaurants or holding conferences, it said in a statement.

Their goal is to become influential in Indonesian society, and they are trying to gain power by drawing support from various political and academic groups. They are doing this by exploiting the notion of tolerance, multiculturalism, and democracy, the embassy noted.

The Turkish government stressed that any contact with members of FETO would not only empower the organization, but also betray the spirit of brotherhood between Turkey and Indonesia.

Close cooperation between the Turkish embassy and the Indonesian government against FETO would be in keeping with the long-standing relations between the two countries, it said.