Armenian expert says unrest in Turkey will not lead to military coup

YEREVAN, June 10. /ARKA/. Ruben Safrastain, an Armenian expert in Turkish affairs, downplayed today speculation that the ongoing unrest in Turkey may translate into a military coup to topple the ruling Justice and Development Party of prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Mr. Sarfrastian, who is director of the Oriental Studies Institute, an affiliation of the Armenian Academy of Sciences, said to a news conference that  during the two weeks of unrest the army has not shown any sign of interest in these developments and neither came out with no relating political statement.

The demonstrators across  large cities protest against Erdogan’s government’s efforts to Islamize the country accusing the  authorities of  interfering  with  the lives of ordinary citizens. Prime minister Erdogan blamed the protests on extremists. During the crackdown on demonstrators police are using actively tear gas. Several people were killed and hundreds injured in the riots.

Safrastian noted  the possibility of the military to influence  the political life of the country has been severely constrained by the changes in the armed forces as part of  reforms designed to integrate with  European Union and also by uncovering a plot of senior army officials –the so-called Ergenekon case.

He said changes in the make-up of army officers occurring after at the end of the 1990s when graduates of religious schools were allowed to enter universities  and many of them later became career officers has played a role too.

"A substantial part of career army  officers were  raised  in the Islamist spirit, and senior officers  fear that they may not fulfill their orders against the current government," Safrastian said. -0-