Menu
Latest
Menu
Latest
Commentary

Tension between the military and the government in Turkey after the resignation of key Military chiefs

30 July 2011

The Turkish Government has appointed General Necdet Ozel the Head of the Gendarmerie - a para military force which constitutes the fourth arm of the Turkish Armend Forces - as the Head of Land Forces and Acting Chief of Staff. The appointment was announced after General Ozel met Prime Minister Erdogan on Friday evening, after which the two men also visited the Turkish President Abdulla Gul.

Earlier in the day the Cheif of Staff of the Armed Forces and the Heads of the Army Navy and Air Force announced that they had taken early retirement.

There has been tension between the Armed Forces and the Government in Turkey after the government announced that it had discovered a plan of a military coup against it, and that many officers in the Armed Forces were involved. A meeting of the Supreme Military Council scheduled to take place on Monday is due to discuss promotions in the Armed Forces and some of the people implicated in the coup were understood to have been recommended for promotion by the military command.

Hurriyet Daily news said that the "resignations immediately caused a state crisis". The pro government "Todays Zaman" said that "The resignation of so many top commanders for the first time ever in Turkey signals a deep rift with the government, which has been confident in confronting a military that once held sway over Turkish political life. The arrests of high-ranking military officers would once have been unimaginable".

source: commonspace.eu newsroom

picture: courtesy of Hurriyet Daily News

(c) commonspace.eu

 

 

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
European leaders set out their plan for Ukraine
Trending

European leaders set out their plan for Ukraine

16 December 2025
The leaders of Germany, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and United Kingdom, together with the President of the European Council, and the President of the European Commission, o  Monday (15 December) issued a statement, outlining their plan for Ukraine. In their statement, Chancellor Merz, Prime Minister Frederiksen, President Stubb, President Macron, Prime Minister Meloni, Prime Minister Schoof, Prime Minister Støre, Prime Minister Tusk, Prime Minister Kristersson, Prime Minister Starmer, as well as President Costa and President von der Leyen spoke about "Peace for Ukraine". The Leaders welcomed significant progress on President Trump’s efforts to secure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. They also welcomed the close work between President Zelenskyy’s and President Trump’s teams as well as European teams over the recent days and weeks. They agreed to work together with President Trump and President Zelenskyy to get to a lasting peace which preserves Ukrainian sovereignty and European security. Leaders appreciated the strong convergence between the United States, Ukraine and Europe. Leaders agreed that ensuring the security, sovereignty, and prosperity of Ukraine was integral for wider Euro-Atlantic security. They were clear that Ukraine and its people deserved a prosperous, independent, and sovereign future, free from fear of future Russian aggression. Both the US and European leaders committed to work together to provide robust security guarantees and economic recovery support measures for Ukraine in the context of an agreement on ending the war. This would include commitments to: Provide sustained and significant support to Ukraine to build its armed forces, which should remain at a peacetime level of 800,000 to be able to deter conflict and defend Ukraine’s territory. A European-led ‘multinational force Ukraine’ made up from contributions from willing nations within the framework of the Coalition of the Willing and supported by the US. It will assist in the regeneration of Ukraine’s forces, in securing Ukraine’s skies, and in supporting safer seas, including through operating inside Ukraine. (Click the image to read the statement in full).

Popular