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Rabat – Ethem Barkan ÖZ, Turkey’s Ambassador to Morocco, reportedly said Monday that Turkey is ready to cooperate with Morocco to shut down the institutions of Fethullah Gülen, the alleged mastermind of the July 15 abortive coup d’état aimed to overthrow Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The ambassador said that Turkey is at the disposal of the Moroccan authorities to collaborate in an effort to shut down Fethullah Gülen’s institutions.
“The countries in which there are schools of this ‘terrorist’ organization must assess the situation as to … its risks and potential threats,” he said. “Moroccan authorities are acutely aware of the nature of the risks that may pose a threat to their interests – and we are always available to provide all the information that Morocco needs.”
The ambassador added that many countries, such as Somalia, Niger, and Equatorial Guinea, had closed Gülen institutions after the failed coup d’état.
The ambassador highlighted that Fethullah Gülen’s organization, known in Turkey as FETO, emerged as a religious movement in 1970 when it began working on education and inter-religious dialogue by establishing private schools and accommodating students who are members of the organization. He added that the work of the organization grew nationally and internationally as a democratic and altruistic movement. However, over time its purpose as a movement to infiltrate the chief positions of the army, homeland security and justice became apparent.
The Turkish embassy in Rabat provided the Moroccan Foreign Ministry with information about Fethullah Gülen’s institutions in the country, and called on Moroccan authorities to take action against them, the Middle East Monitor reported two weeks ago.
According to The Guardian, after the failed coup d’état, some journalists visited Fethullah Gülen at his house in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, and he denied all accusations that had been made against him. Gülen claimed that the failed coup could have been staged by the government.
Last year, the Turkish Interior Ministry published a list of “Turkey’s wanted terrorists,” which included Fathullah Gülen as one of the fugitives.
