Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini for

comments she made in the immediate aftermath of a recent coup attempt last month.

"Mrs. Mogherini should have first come to Turkey. Now I ask: 'What would be the reactions if the

Italian parliament was bombed?,'" Erdogan told Italian TV channel Rainews24 late Tuesday.

"When an incident happens in Belgium or in Paris, when five or 10 people get killed, all of them

are crowding together, aren't they? They wonder what has happened,” he said. “A coup was staged

against the democracy in Turkey and now we have 238 martyrs. Unfortunately no one from Europe,

EU or the [European] Council came to Turkey", Erdogan said as he called on Mogherini to express

empathy for the Turkish state and its people in the wake of the crisis.

"What would Mogherini say as an Italian? Would she say, 'They did well. How will the judicial

process go on? I am concerned about it'", Erdogan said.

His comments follow Mogherini’s remarks, who just days after the unsuccessful overthrow of the

Turkish government, demanded Ankara adhere to the country’s Constitution as it investigates those

behind the attempted putsch. “We need to have Turkey

respect democracy, human rights and

fundamental freedoms,” she said at a meeting of 28 EU foreign ministers, alongside U.S. Secretary

of State John Kerry.

The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), accused of using agents inside the Turkish military

and government, has been accused of carrying out the coup attempt.

"All viruses inside the Turkish Armed Forces, police and judiciary and all state establishments

should be removed," Erdogan said as he slammed the attitude of western governments toward

Turkey following the overthrow attempt.

"Does the West take the side of democracy or coup? I think that they take the side of coup", he

said.

Regarding concerns about a possible reinstatement of the death penalty for those involved in the

failed takeover, Erdogan reiterated his stance that the decision would be left up to Turkish

lawmakers but he cited a strong desire by the Turkish public for capital punishment.

"We don't have death sentence in Turkey. The U.S., Japan, China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh,

Iran, Pakistan, Taiwan, Belarus, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Bahamas sill

have the death sentence. Only the EU member countries don't have it. Do our people have a

demand for it? Yes," he said.

"Now almost 75 percent of public opinion polls show it", Erdogan added, while emphasizing that

parliament's decision is above all.

The government in Ankara has said the deadly coup attempt, which martyred at least 238 people

and injured nearly 2,200 others, was organized by the followers of U.S.-based preacher, Fetullah

Gulen.

Gulen is also accused of implementing a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the

infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming what is

commonly known as the parallel state.