Biden said after meeting Erdogan that those involved in the coup attempt were terrorists and said the USA had more lawyers working on the request for Gulen’s extradition than in any other such recent case.
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Erdogan made the remarks on Wednesday following a joint press conference with visiting US Vice President Joe Biden and hours after the Turkish military launched an operation on Syrian soil under the pretext of fighting terrorism.
The Turkish authorities “have provided no evidence to us at all of Gulen’s possible connections to the coup”, the United States official said, adding that any extradition decision would be made under judicial process with no White House interference.
At the same time, Biden said he understands the “intense feeling” against USA -based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who the Turkish government has accused of orchestrating the coup.
Speaking at a news conference after the meeting, Biden said the Kurdish militias, an important US ally in the fight against the Islamic State, would have to meet a Turkish demand by withdrawing to the eastern side of the Euphrates River in northeastern Syria.
Biden said he regretted not being able to travel to Turkey sooner to show solidarity with the Turkish people and the Turkish government.
Ankara’s longtime nemesis, the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), has been instrumental in battling ISIS in both Syria and Iraq, but the party is seen as a terrorist group blamed for numerous bombings linked to Kurdish rebels inside Turkey.
Turkey is both a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member and part of the USA coalition in the fight against IS in Syria and Iraq.
“They can not, will not, and under no circumstances will they get American support if they do not keep their commitment”, Biden added.
At the press conference, Erdogan also confirmed the Free Syrian Army (FSA), Syria’s opposition forces, has forced the militants in Jarablus of northern Syria out with the help of Turkish forces and the US -led coalition forces. But US-Ankara relations have been complicated by that conflict.
Turkish tanks and armored personnel carriers crossed the border into a part of northern Syria that has been under the control of the militants since July 2013. And he, you know, saluted the Turkish people. Given that the YPG relies on USA air support, they have no choice but to obey.
The Turkish army began firing artillery rounds into Jarablus at around 0100 GMT and Turkish and USA warplanes pounded Islamic State targets with air strikes.
Kerry stressed that the Syrian Kurdish forces “were in the process of retreating east of the Euphrates”, the officials said in reference to the Syrian Kurdish forces. “Only an American court can do that”, Biden said after meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel sent a letter to Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım regretting that “Again, innocent men, women, and children have fallen victim to cowardly and treacherous violence”. It still supports rebel groups in Syria, though their main goal is to keep Kurdish and ISIL forces at bay.
Biden was speaking during a visit to Turkey alongside Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim who said the USA should reassess its support for the Kurdish militia to prevent an increase in danger.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Kurdish forces appeared to be on the move south of the newly captured town of Jarablus, making the potential for all-out confrontation all the more possible overnight. General Stephen Townsend, issued a more official threat to take military action against Syria and Russian Federation.
During the press conference, Erdogan also noted the Turkey’s priority is the swift extradition of Fethullah Gulen, a US-based opposition figure viewed by Ankara as the mastermind of a failed coup in the country.
On Turkey’s recent criticism of the United States and other allies for their lukewarm response to the failed coup attempt, there was this from the vice-president.
The news agency said the operation aims to clear Turkey’s border of “terror organizations” and increase border security, as well as “prioritize and support” Syria’s territorial integrity.
Turkey’s justice minister, Bekir Bozdag, says extradition is a political test: is America for Turkey or against it? Some Turks believe the United States knew about the plot in advance or even supported it.
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“We should make clear under American law that no president of the United States has authority to extradite anyone under his own power, that only an American court can do that”. Instead, corrections will be made in a blog post or in an article.
