The coup began late on July 15 in Turkey, when a faction of the Turkish military blocked Istanbul’s Bosphorus Bridge and strafed the headquarters of the Turkish intelligence agency and parliament in the capital.
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Ankara accuses US-based cleric Fetullah Gulen of masterminding the plot, and is actively seeking his extradition.
“If the US does not respond Turkey’s extradition request for Gulen, who is head of the FETO organization and has been living in USA, this will inevitably affect the bilateral relations of the two countries”, Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview with Japanese news agency Kyodo. Police carried out searches at both their houses, but neither was home.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced on Saturday that US Vice President Joe Biden would be visiting Turkey during that time, Anadolu said.
Also at risk is a deal with the European Union on helping to stem the flow of migrants into Europe.
“The only way to prevent the rising [negative] sentiment against America is for the U.S.to hand over this man and make sure Turkey’s justice system holds him accountable”. But now the prime minister said Kerry would come in October. Turkey has not said clearly whether it has filed a formal extradition request.
The Turkish PM said the USA attitude over the coup attempt had a positive shift.
Erdogan’s critics say he could use the purge to crack down broadly on dissent.
Last month a coup by the Turkish military failed to oust President Erdogan.
Yildirim said more than 81,000 government employees have either been suspended or fired from their jobs for allegedly being party to the coup attempt, though he acknowledged the government was having difficulty determining which individuals actively supported it from those who were caught up in it by chance.
He said Ekrem Beyaztas, chief prosecutor in Erzurum province, was detained by border guards in Kilis province.
“In recent weeks, runaway coup plotters have been trying to leave Turkey via routes traditionally used by the PKK to smuggle militants and weapons in and out of the country”, he said.
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Ankara has accused Gulen of being behind the failed coup.
