Turkish admiral 'seeks asylum in US' as coup tensions fester

A Turkish rear admiral on NATO assignment in the US has applied for asylum as tensions over the failed July coup continued to escalate between Ankara and the West.

The Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency said on Wednesday that Mustafa Zeki Ugurlu applied for asylum after Turkish authorities expelled him from the armed forces and ordered his arrest.

Ugurlu was stationed in Norfolk in Virginia, but has not been heard from since 22 July, Anadolu said. Anadolu did not say whether the US had accepted Ugurlu's claim, believed to be the first of its kind.

US-Turkey relations have worsened over the status of Fethullah Gulen, a US resident whom Turkey accuses of being behind the failed coup. Ankara has demanded extradition, while Washington has said it needs evidence of the allegations, which Gulen denies.

The Turkey is also in dispute with the EU over its reaction to the failed 15 July coup, and on Wednesday accused the bloc of “encouraging" the plotters.

"Let me say openly, this is because the EU adopted a favourable position to the coup... encouraged the putschists," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told Turkish media.

The Turkish people have "unfortunately” lost confidence with the EU in the wake of the coup and the 26-member bloc "failed a test" on the night of the attempted coup, he added without expanding further.

Cavusoglu, however, did say that support for the EU, which Turkey has sought to join since its inception but which has gradually become less popular, has now fallen to 20 percent.

His comments came a day after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Russia to meet his counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in an attempt to rebuild ties following the downing of a Russian jet near the Syrian border in November.

Some analysts are concerned that the relationship could have a negative effect on NATO.

However, NATO said on Wednesday that Turkey's membership of the military alliance was "not in question", despite the tumult in the country.

Turkish MPs have also repeatedly stressed that, despite the dismissal or arrest of thousands of Turkish military officers and soldiers, the coup has not eroded its military capabilities.

Since the coup, Turkish officials say that 16,000 people have been formally arrested. Thousands of others have been suspended from their jobs pending an investigation.  

"Our relations with Russia are not a message to the West. We worked very hard to have good relations with Europe for 15 years," Cavusoglu said, warning that any deterioration in ties would not be Turkey's fault.

"If the West one day loses Turkey - whatever our relations with Russia and China - it will be their fault."