David Gardner’s take on Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan (“Cocooned by sycophants, Erdogan sheds layers of reality and support”, FT.com, November 17) is almost entirely correct. Mr Erdogan has surrounded himself with loyalists, has aligned with extremist nationalist groups and has inflicted considerable damage on the Turkish economy.
What he got wrong, however, was in falsely characterising the deplorable 2016 coup attempt as the handiwork of “the Gulenists”, or those with an affinity for the peaceful Islamic preacher, Fethullah Gulen, who resides in self-exile in the US.
I worry that the author’s view of that tragic night has been coloured by Mr Erdogan’s propaganda, perpetuated by the Turkish media machine and foreign lobbying muscle.
Mr Erdogan has never allowed for an impartial, international account for that fateful night. He must be afraid of the truth.
Alp Aslandogan
Executive Director
Alliance for Shared Values
Clifton, NJ, US