Military coup is impossible in Turkey, Professor Ruben Safrastyan, Head of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Armenian National Academy of Science, told media, Monday.
The expert said that Turkish army is indifferent to the clashes of the police and protesters against construction in Gezi Park. Prime Minister Erdogan managed to separate army from the politics. In addition, the mentality of Turkish officers has changed sharply. The graduated students of religious schools have been allowed to receive higher education and part of them became officers after graduation. Now, the army leadership is concerned that the officers will simply refuse to fulfill orders and will not interfere with the processes in the country, Safrastyan said.
The professor believes that the situation with Gezi Park is in favor of the incumbent president Abdullah Gul. In 2014 elections to the local self-government and presidential election will be held in Turkey. In addition, a new Constitution may be adopted ahead of elections to change the governance system. "It is not a secret that Prime Minister Erdogan claims the presidential post and these changes will give him wider powers. However, the current processes in Turkey show that Erdogan cannot come out as a nation- wide leader who listens to the voice of the people," Safrastyan says. "Erdogan's behavior is insulting first of all the Gezi Park activists, who are largely intellectuals. This will seriously damage Erdogan's image and Gul will appear as a winner," he said.
The protests against construction in the area of Gezi Park in Istanbul continue in Turkey. Reportedly, 536 people were wounded during the ongoing unrest in Turkey, with over 2,3 thousand people being arrested. In Ankara, activists demand resignation of the government. On June 8 Istanbul mayor declared that the local authorities adopted a decision to cancel construction in the park.