Biden arrives in Turkey to mend ties following failed coup

U.S Vice President Joe Biden, left, shakes hands with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim as he arrives for a meeting in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016.

“We have received a formal extradition request, just not one pertaining to the coup attempt”, said Toner, who did not elaborate on the dossier submitted by Ankara.

Turkish authorities claim Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania, was the mastermind behind the violent coup attempt that killed over 270 people.

Representatives of the US Justice Department are in Turkey to meet with Turkish officials and review the evidence.

In July, Ankara asked the United States government to extradite Gulen and has so far sent “eighty-five boxes of files” to Washington to prove his involvement.

Despite constant pressure from Ankara, Washington said it was looking for “evidence” of Gulen’s involvement in the failed coup.

“We can confirm now that Turkey has requested the extradition of Mr Gulen”.

However, the United States insists that the cleric will only be extradited following legal procedures according to relevant legislature and treaties. Officials of the ruling AKP party told Al Jazeera that USA authorities have been presented with documents and members of the Gulen network have been caught “red-handed”. As the US issued denials, Turkish officials complained that Washington was slow to support Turkey’s government at its time of greatest need, even though the USA had expressed support for Erdogan during the violence that claimed 270 lives.

Biden, the first senior White House official to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan since the takeover attempt, is seeking to blunt accusations from some Turkish officials that the US helped facilitate the uprising by a segment of the Turkish armed forces. Turkey has accused the West of being more concerned about the civil liberties of detained or sacked officials than victims of the coup attempt.

Turkey’s government has repeatedly said the failed coup was also plotted by followers of Gulen and his Fethullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO).