Russian President Vladimir Putin was the next target if putschists had succeeded in killing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during July 15’s failed coup attempt, which aimed to push Turkey into the war and division suffered by the Balkan states in the 1990s, Justice and Development Party (AKP) İstanbul deputy Metin Külünk said on Saturday.
Speaking at a conference in Samsun’s Canik district on Saturday, Külünk said the July 15 coup attempt was a continuation of World War I as Turkey was aspiring to become a Balkan state whose society was divided based on ethnic discrimination.
“The first condition to transform Turkey into a Balkan state was to eliminate Erdoğan. The next step was to eliminate Putin,” Külünk said.