(VOvworld) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan condemned Western countries on Friday for failing to show solidarity with Turkey over the recent failed coup. He also rejected Western criticism of purges under way in Turkey's military and other state institutions which saw more than 60,000 people detained, removed or suspended over suspected links with the coup attempt.

Turkish soldiers detain Staff Sergeant Erkan Cikat, one of the missing military personnel suspected of being involved in the coup attempt, in Marmaris, Turkey, July 25, 2016. (photo: Reuters/Kenan Gurbuz)

Erdogan said instead of appreciating Turkey which repelled a coup attempt, the west take the side of the coup plotters. Late on Thursday Turkey announced a shake-up of its armed forces with the promotion of 99 colonels to the rank of general or admiral and the dishonorable discharge of nearly 1,700 military personnel over their alleged roles in the coup. About 40 percent of all generals and admirals in the military have been dismissed since the coup.