Turkey rejects fear of ex-officers, diplomats seeking asylum in Norway

Turkey on Friday rejected the fear of several Turkish officers and diplomats who have applied for political asylum in Norway after a coup attempt took place in their country last year, local newspaper VG reported.

Deputy chief of mission of the Turkish embassy in Norway, Ulku Kocaefe, dismissed their fears as "unrealistic," saying "the Turkish state has many legal mechanisms at all levels that protect these people's rights."

Kocaefe claimed that 12,600 public servants who were suspended from their jobs after the attempted coup have now got their jobs back.

"The decision that the officers who remained in Norway have taken is unfortunate. If they refuse to travel to Turkey, that might imply that they maybe had something to do with the accusations," she said.

Kocaefe said that Norway "must understand that the steps Turkish authorities now take are the result of very difficult times for the country, with the coup attempt and very many terrorist attacks."

Some former Turkish officers who VG has talked to denied they had had anything to do with the coup attempt or its organizers.

According to the Norwegian directorate of immigration, there was a sharp increase in the number of Turkish asylum seekers to Norway during the autumn of last year.

In 2016, there were 89 applicants from Turkey and five people or 19 percent of them were granted asylum. However, most of the grants probably happened before the coup attempt, VG report said. Endit