Turkey’s president says he will demand the extradition of the leader allegedly responsible for last month’s abortive coup during his meeting with the American vice president later that day.
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Moreover, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said previously that the U.S. must decide who is its ally – Turkey, or the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Syria that he called a terrorist organization.
Biden arrived in Ankara just hours after Turkish forces, supported by US air strikes, launched a military offensive against Islamic State (IS) militants in northern Syria.
Some in Washington privately doubt Gulen’s involvement and have been critical of the heavy-handed Turkish government response to the coup attempt.
“We will abide by our system”.
“Can you imagine us being happy with another military state [in Turkey]?”
Turkey regards the Kurds fighting with the US against ISIS, the YPG, aa essentially the same as Kurdish group that has fought an insurgency against the state since the 1970s, the PKK, and describes the force as a terror group.
Erdogan, however, firmly called for Gulen’s extradition, claiming that the cleric manages a terrorist organization from Pennsylvania.
“And as per the treaties we have, the necessary steps should be taken with a view to his extradition”.
Even if approved by a judge, an extradition request would still have to go to the U.
After meeting Biden, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Turkey and the United States should never allow incidents to harm relations, but Ankara expected the legal process for the Gulen extradition without delay. “We are cooperating with Turkish authorities”.
“We did not have prior knowledge, we did not support, we immediately condemned, and we continue as we did before the coup to stand shoulder to shoulder not only with the government of Turkey but with the people of Turkey”.
About 80,000 people in the judiciary, police, civil service and elsewhere have been sacked or suspended. Thus far, until yesterday, there has been no evidence presented about the coup.
Biden was speaking during a visit to Turkey. They can not, will not and under no circumstances get American support if they do not keep that commitment. “Let’s give them some time. And so let’s move on”, said Biden.
Biden wrote on Twitter the main reason for his trip was to “underscore America’s solidarity with the Turkish people in the wake of tragic attacks and coup attempt”.
“That request is not related to the coup attempt”, he said.
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Washington has angered Ankara by saying it needs to see evidence rather than allegations.
