July 16, 2016•Update: July 17, 2016
ANKARA
The heads of three political parties in Turkey will address parliament on Saturday after a failed-coup attempt in the country, according to the parliamentary speaker.
“I spoke on the phone with Prime Minister, the leader of AK Party Binali Yildirim, head of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People's Party leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, and Turkish Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Devlet Bahceli,” Ismail Kahraman said while speaking at the parliament. The political party leaders will address Turkish parliament at 5 p.m. local time, he said.
An overthrow of the government was attempted late Friday by a group within the Turkish military, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
In the moments after the attempted coup began, Erdogan urged Turks to “go to squares, let us give them the best answer.”
He delivered the message in a video from a cell phone that was broadcast on national television from what appeared to be a private residence.
Arriving in Istanbul hours later, the Turkish president said he would not leave Ataturk Airport until the situation in the country returns to normal.
“Turkish Airlines began its operations. There is a small distress in Ankara,” Erdogan told a large crowd gathered at the airport.
“There is no leaving here until this situation goes back to normal. I will not leave, too,” he said.
Erdogan slammed U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen, who is accused of leading a terrorist organization and attempting to infiltrate and overthrow the democratically-elected government in Turkey.
“It is enough the betrayal you have done to this nation,” Erdogan said, though not mentioning Gulen’s name, and called him to return to Turkey to face trial.
At least 90 Turks have been martyred and more than 1,000 injured during the coup attempt.
