Turkish coup d'état attempt

A bloody coup attempt by a large number of soldiers, including high-ranking generals was quashed by the security forces on July 16 as hundreds of thousands of civilians hit the streets across the country against the rebel soldiers in a night that put a black mark on Turkish democracy.

The rationale provided by German deputies, including those of Turkish origin, for supporting the non-binding parliamentary resolution in the Bundestag that refers to the mass killings of Armenians in 1915 as "genocide," is that this "will contribute to healing the wound between Turks and Armenians," and "will also help normalize ties between Turkey and Armenia."

Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) elected Transportation and Communications Minister Binali Yıldırım as its new chairman on May 22, after Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said he was stepping down earlier this month on May 5.

The Justice and Development Party (AKP) government supported the "Ergenekon" coup plot case between 2007 and 2011, according to Turkey's former military chief, ?lker Ba?bu?, who claimed the main actors behind the conspiracy were the sympathizers of U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen. 

There has been a dramatic reduction in the number of migrants and refugees illegally crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey into Europe, but authorities must not let down their guard as people smugglers can rapidly change routes, the head of NATO has cautioned.

The number of migrants and refugees crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey into Europe is falling significantly but people smugglers can rapidly change routes and authorities must not reduce their security efforts prematurely, the head of NATO said on April 21, praising Turkey's efforts to break the business model of traffickers.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu said he stood behind a March 31 announcement by the Turkish General Staff, which denied allegations that some members of the military were planning a coup, adding the statement was released "upon his permission."

The Turkish General Staff has categorically denied allegations that some members of the military allegedly linked to the Fethullah Gülen movement were planning a coup d'état, underlining it has launched a legal action against unspecified media outlets over reports it said were damaging morale, as Turkey faces an almost unprecedented combination of national security threats. 

The State Department and Pentagon ordered the families of U.S. diplomats and military personnel on March 29 to leave posts in southern Turkey due to security fears.

The two agencies said dependents of American staffers at the U.S. consulate in Adana, the Incirlik air base and two other locations must leave.

EU leaders held a summit with Turkey's prime minister on March 7 in order to back closing the Balkans migrant route and urge Ankara to accept deportations of large numbers of economic migrants from overstretched Greece.