Team Turkey arrives during the opening ceremony for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 5, 2016.
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Turkish officials insist Erdogan’s visit to St. Petersburg is no sign that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member and European Union membership candidate is turning its back on the West.
Shortly after the coup attempt, Labour Minister Suleyman Soylu went even further to say “the United States is behind the coup”.
The Moscow-Ankara ties soured after Turkish forces shot down a Russian Su-24 jet near the Turkish-Syrian border on November 24, 2015 for alleged airspace violation.
But the Turkish cleric, who has been in self-imposed exile in the USA since 1999, has denounced the arrest warrant as meaningless, saying that it was typical of a justice system which was not independent. “We are lawyers and we deal with evidence and we deal with due process and – guess what? – in extradition proceedings, evidence matters and due process matters”, he said.
“The time has come to. clearly say that the EU’s negotiations with Turkey have to be suspended or ended”, Doskozil told the Austria Press Agency in an interview published on Thursday.
Talks on Turkish accession have made only slow progress since they began in 2005, with just one “chapter” concluded of 35 such policy areas where Turkey must adopt and implement European Union rules.
“There is this perception game that Turkey could strategically gravitate towards Russian Federation if the relationship with the West cannot be maintained. North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is nothing without Turkey”.
President Erdogan has accused the US-based cleric of orchestrating last month’s failed coup.
Sources at the Foreign Office said the German Embassy in Ankara had been trying for days to contact her – without success.
Turkey has accused Gulen of ordering the foiled coup, which claimed more than 230 lives and injured almost 2,200 others, and repeatedly demanded his extradition to Turkey to face trial. “But there still remain serious differences between the two countries”, he told Reuters.
It is not that differences between Ankara and Moscow have been completely buried.
“The question is whether the current tactical de-escalation can translate into a deeper strategic partnership”.
Washington is likely to be watching closely.
“US not involved in Turkey coup attempt” was posted in World of TheNews International – https://www.thenews.com.pk on August 07, 2016 and was last updated on August 07, 2016.
Turkish authorities hold Gulen, a Turkish preacher now based in the United States, and his followers responsible for the coup attempt of 15 July.
The Turkish Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “Both sides need each other”, he said. “We’re looking through them”. Please see our terms of service for more information. Kurz said Turkey had not met the conditions for progress to be made.
European Union officials are concerned the deal could force Europe to become ever more reliant on Russia’s gas supply as the gas line would bypass Ukraine and potential suppliers in the Caspian region. “Politically, it is very weak”.
Russia and Turkey are coming out of a tense period in bilateral ties following the downing of a Russian jet by Turkish military aircraft in November past year.
The country has also been hit by a series of suicide bombings.
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“Austria is the capital of radical racism”, he added.
