“Our chief of General Staff is an official responsible to our prime minister. There is nothing extraordinary in that meeting,” he said adding that his meeting on the same night with the prime minister was not unusual as he is a Cabinet minister and can meet with Erdoğan any time.
Gen. Başbuğ went to the prime minister’s residence at 11 p.m. on Sunday, as Turkey was talking about arrest warrants issued for 102 military officers, both retired and on active duty, as part of the Sledgehammer case. It was claimed that Başbuğ expressed uneasiness about the arrest warrants issued for commanders who are fighting terrorism and called “fugitives” in the warrants. While Erdoğan and Başbuğ were meeting, Justice Minister Ergin was making a speech in the southern province of Hatay. Ergin cut his speech short and left the hall when his aide gave him a note. Erdoğan met with Ergin until 2:30 a.m. following the meeting with Başbuğ.
Another question that Ergin answered was in regards to a ceremony for four deceased policemen in Adana province, attended by Interior Minister Beşir Atalay and Gen. Nejat Bek, the commander of the 6th Army Corps. Their presence drew attention because a warrant has been issued for Gen. Bek’s arrest as part of the Sledgehammer operation, but they stood side by side at the ceremony. Ergin said that the “atmosphere of the ceremony should be evaluated” when considering the context.
