France's Hollande Fears Turkey Will Turn to Repression after Coup Attempt
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - French President Francois Hollande said he expected there would be a period of repression in Turkey in the aftermath of a failed coup by some elements of the military.
Forces loyal to the Turkish government appeared to have crushed the remnants of a military coup attempt that crumbled after crowds answered President Tayyip Erdogan's call to take to the streets.
"Now we shall see what the situation is in Turkey. If its president has completely regained control, which I think is the case, we shall have a period of considerable calm, but there will probably be repression," Hollande said after visiting the French foreign ministry's crisis center, Reuters reported.
"I can imagine that a certain number of military will have to answer for what they did or what they didn't do."
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said earlier that he hoped democracy in Turkey would survive the aftermath of the coup.
"The Turkish population showed great maturity and courage by defending its institutions," Ayrault said in a statement.
"France hopes that calm can return quickly. It hopes that Turkish democracy will emerge reinforced by this test and that fundamental liberties will be fully respected," the statement said.
