On Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a special congress of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) that the state of emergency would remain in force until the nation's security and stability were fully ensured.
"We use the emergency state as one of the tools to fight against the terrorism, we need it. That is why it will be in force as long as there is such a need… If our European colleagues had provided us with support on the issue, the duration [of the emergency state] would have been shorter," Akgad said.
"Such actions of the western states, which call themselves our 'friends' are unacceptable. It is a clear manifestation of the double standard policy," Akgad added.
A military coup attempt took place in Turkey in July 2016. While it quickly suppressed by government forces, over 240 people were killed and an estimated 2,000 were wounded. Ankara has accused Gulen, who has lived in the US state of Pennsylvania since 1999, and his followers of playing a key role in the coup. Gulen has denied the accusations and condemned the attempted coup.
Following the attempted takeover, Turkish authorities introduced a emergency state for a period of three months, but has since been prolonged several times by the government. Turkish opposition and several EU leaders have criticized the prolongation of the emergency state, claiming that it threatens the rights and freedoms of the country’s citizens.
