WASHINGTON (AP) With suspicions on both sides mounting, the United States is struggling to preserve its wobbly partnership with Turkey as the Turks entertain closer relations with Russian Federation and fume over a USA -based cleric blamed for orchestrating last month’s failed coup.
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Erdogan, who was due to meet Biden in Ankara later in the day, said Turkey would continue to provide USA officials with documents to demand the extradition of Fethullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999.
Turkish authorities claim Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania, was the mastermind behind the violent coup attempt that killed over 270 people.
Erdogan has appealed to the United States for the return of Gulen numerous times and has said the United States has to “choose between Turkey and Gulen”.
“We stand by the Turkish people against the coup”, he said, adding that Turkey has “no friend better than the United States”. One newspaper said the attempt was financed by the Central Intelligence Agency and directed by a retired USA army general.
Adding to US worries, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim recently appeared warm to the possibility of Syrian President Bashar Assad maintaining a role in a transitional government. Biden has arrived in Ankara for talks with Turkish. USA leaders were incensed when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the United States of either supporting or backing the coup.
Biden said in an op-ed published in Turkish newspaper Milliyet ahead of his visit that he or President Barak Obama could not simply order Gulen’s extradition because the request must be assessed by a federal court that will decide if there is enough evidence to send him to Turkey to face charges.
“It’s never understood that the wheels of justice move deliberately and slowly”, Biden said.
The U.S. government wants firm evidence before considering extradition. “It’s totally understandable why the people of Turkey are angry”.
“The United States of America did not have any fore-knowledge of what befell you on the 15th of July”, he said.
Turkish officials are expected to share information about four different files dealing with the extradition of Gulen who is also accused of leading a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.
“If the process can be sped up for (Gulen) to be returned to our country in order to be punished, if our cooperation in this regard continues to grow, then the Turkish people’s sorrow, its disappointment in this regard will quickly give way to positive sentiments”, Yildirim said.
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During his one-day visit, Biden visited parts of the Parliament that were destroyed in the failed coup. Biden hopes to smooth relations, but has limited leverage.
