Bugün’s Gülay Göktürk interprets the General Staff’s Monday statement as a shift towards a policy of acceptance from a policy of denial while noting that the General Staff, with this statement, has agreed with a fact that had previously been confirmed by various institutions. In her view, the General Staff’s acknowledgement of the authenticity of the coup plot is of great political significance because this means it is giving up abetting pro-coup members of the military and paving the way to the judiciary running independently. “I would not want to get carried away with extreme optimism, but the General Staff’s change of attitude can be read as an important step taken toward working in harmony with the normalization process in Turkey,” she comments. According to Göktürk, if the General Staff has seen that the normalization process in Turkey cannot be reversed and feels that trying to keep up with this process is a better idea, this means good news for all of us. “Turkey is really exhausted by the subversive plots that emerge every other day. Society is tired of being disappointed with its army, people are tired of facing yet more tension when they wake up every morning, the government is tired of fighting with the obstacles put before it and the judiciary is tired of carrying out investigations like it is playing puss-in-the-corner. We all want peace now. We want a state mechanism that runs calmly and quietly and where everyone operates within their own jurisdiction,” suggests Göktürk.Star’s Ergun Babahan mockingly addresses those who denied the existence of coup plans in Turkey, saying that it was impossible for the Turkish military to make such horrendous plans targeting the nation. He says the confirmation of the authenticity of the coup plots by military institutions has shown how biased these circles were while noting that the latest developments in the country have revealed the existence of an asymmetrical war. This is a war launched by members of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) against society, he says, explaining that the masterminds of this war wouldn’t even refrain from bombing mosques and downing a Turkish jet in order to foment chaos with the ultimate goal of a military takeover. Indicating that the pro-coup TSK members have collaborators within politics and the media as well, Babahan says they will continue to exist for a while so it’s necessary to maintain the struggle against them.
In the wake of the military reports confirming the authenticity of the coup plots, Zaman’s Mustafa Ünal says some politicians, like Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal and media outlets that tried to water down the coup plans, owe an apology to the nation. “Remaining silent means an apology as well, but it would comfort one if they openly say that they have been mistaken,” suggests Ünal.
