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The Azerbaijani authorities decided to close down one of the best private universities in the country, Caucasus, according to Turannews agency.

According to the report, the Ministry of Education has said to have received the corresponding appeal from the founder of the university.

Turan highlights that the founders of the university are entities standing close to the Turkish theologian Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of the organization of the July 16 coup attempt. The decision to close down the university, which has been operating in Azerbaijan since 1993, coincided with the measures of the Turkish authorities that persecute Gulen’s supporters and structures close to him everywhere.

Reportedly, several thousand students studied at different faculties in the Caucasus university. The university graduates stood out with a high level of erudition. Moreover, the agency emphasizes that Azerbaijan’s State Oil Company was one of the main sponsors of the university.

Besides, Vesti.az informs that the website of the local Zaman-Azerbaijan newspaper was also closed down. It is highlighted that the media outlet is assumed to be linked to Fethullah Gulen. According to the report, FETO, a terroristic organization, was widely promoted on the website and articles against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were published in connection with the coup attempt in Turkey. 

Earlier, the work of the independent ANS TV channel was suspended in Azerbaijan for preventing the broadcasting of the interview with the US-based Turkish opposition preacher Fethullah Gulen. The interview of ANS with Gulen was described as “propaganda of terrorism.”

On the night of July 16, a coup attempt was organized in Turkey. The main clashes were in Ankara and Istanbul. The authorities of the country stated that the putsch had been quelled. According to the latest information, 190 Turkish citizens died, more than 100 rebels were killed, and over 1,5 thousands of people were injured during the clashes.

Ankara accused the US-based Turkish writer, former imam and preacher FethullahGulen of organizing the putsch. Turkish president Recep Erdogan called on the US president Barack Obama to extradite him to Ankara. Gulen denied his involvement in the coup attempt and even stated that the rebellion could have been staged by the government of the country.

FethullahGulen is the leader of the religious-philosophical sectNur. He also owns large industrial and financial companies and holdings worldwide. Gülen owns a large network of schools and educational institutions. In 1998, Gulenwas accused of attempting to overthrow the existing regime in secular Turkey. At the same time avoiding the punishment, he immigrated to the United States. When the AKP came to power all charges against him were dropped. Turkish Prime Minister R. T. Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party are accused of having ties to Gulen. According to various estimates, about five million people in Turkey and abroad (particularly in Azerbaijan and Central Asia) are involved in the Gülen movement.

In 2014, official circles in Turkey have provided the Azerbaijani government a list of high-ranking officials of Azerbaijan in the administration of President IlhamAliyev and the Azerbaijani government, which include or are related with such religious direction, as Nursizm.The list of officials recruited by the sect of FethullahGulen include, the head of Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan ElnurAslanov, SOCAR vice president Khalig Mammadov, chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations ElshadIsgandarov, his deputy GunduzIsmailov, Youth and Sports Deputy Minister IntigamBabayev, MP JeyhunO smanli, CSR Director under the Presidential Administration Farhad Mammadov, Chairman of the Youth Foundation Farhad Hajiyev.