Dion said the requests from the Turkish government came before and after last week’s coup attempt to overthrow the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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Secretary of State John Kerry is calling on Turkey to provide hard evidence that a US -based cleric was behind a foiled coup attempt last weekend if it wants him extradited. Erdogan has previously said an “important decision” would be announced after the meeting.
The government has detained over 9,000 people and fired tens of thousands of teachers, police and university professors, accusing them of having links to the US -based cleric it blames for Turkey’s failed military coup. The Ministry of Education also fired 15,200 teachers on Tuesday for the same reason. “In one fell swoop it’s a hollowing out of the state as a whole”, she said – a purging of people in the military, the police, the judiciary, the prosecutorial ranks and at educational institutions, possibly to fill the ranks with AKP loyalists.
Last week’s coup bid was the most serious threat to Mr Erdogan since he took power first as prime minister in 2003, and saw rebel troops close down bridges in Istanbul, parliament bombed from the sky and protesters shot in the streets.
Erdogan has been seeking to consolidate power in the presidency since he was elevated to that office two years ago, and has indicated he believes the attempted coup vindicates his policies.
The White House said Obama and Erdogan spoke by telephone on Tuesday.
On Tuesday US Defence Secretary Ash Carter met to consult on the Turkish raid in the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey.
He will chair meetings in his palace on Wednesday of the cabinet and the National Security Council, after which a series of emergency measures are expected to be announced.
“Nearly every day we are seeing new measures that flout the rule of law and that disregard the principle of proportionality”, government spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters.
Germany on Wednesday condemned Turkey’s escalating crackdown following a failed coup, saying the hardline response “flouts the rule of law”.
Turkey’s president on Wednesday declared a three-month state of emergency following a failed coup.
Ankara has called on Washington to hand over exiled Gulen to Turkish authorities for an investigation into the failed coup, but John Kerry on Monday said that Ankara must produce proofs for such a development.
The West desperately needs a stable, democratic, and predictable partner in its NATO-ally Turkey to address the many challenges besetting the region and to fight the Islamic State (or ISIS).
Bestepe is also home to Turkey’s presidential palace.
In their first telephone conversation since the attempted overthrow, President Barack Obama pledged U.S. assistance to Erdogan for the investigation into the putsch, which has threatened to once again raise tensions between the uneasy North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies.
Turkey’s domestic situation and its 180-degree turn toward a more realistic and accommodating foreign policy, which includes efforts to fix relations with Israel, Russia and even Syria and Iraq, likely means a less aggressive Syria policy.
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Already, around 9,000 people including police and government officials have been sacked and at least 9,300 people detained including more than 100 generals and admirals accused of masterminding the plot.
