Ankara - The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, today confirmed that he continues to lead the government after the ''failed coup'', perpetrated by a faction of the army.

The soldiers who took to the streets will return to their place. Everything will return to normal. I am with my people and I am not going anywhere, Erdogan declared in a message to the nation hours after the military occupied strategic sites and announced they had taken the control of the country.

The attempted coup by a faction of the Turkish army was an act of treason, said the leader in the early Saturday morning upon his arrival at the Istanbul airport hours after a coup attempt that wanted to overthrow him by force.

We will stop these actions with great decision, said Erdogan when stating that those who planned the coup will pay for it.

The Government chosen by the Turkish people is able to govern and will continue to do so, said the president while confirming the failure of the coup.