Turkey said yesterday it had received “positive signals” from the United States over its requests to extradite Pennsylvania-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, 75, whom Ankara accuses of ordering last month’s failed coup attempt.
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More than 35,000 people have been detained for questioning while tens of thousands of others from government jobs, including in the judiciary, media, education, health care, military and local government.
Gulen publicly condemned the coup and denies any involvement in the uprising. Gulen is suspected of orchestrating a coup on 15 July 2016.
The meeting this week between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin and their vow to expand bilateral relations is the latest sign of deteriorating U.S. “The public presence in the scene carried good omens and an important lesson to those who attempted the coup”.
The timing of Zarif’s visit has pleased Ankara, which has hit out at the lack of Western leaders coming to Turkey since the failed coup.
At a joint news conference on Friday in Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said the two neighbouring nations have agreed to “keep closer contact” on the issue of “territorial integrity of Syria”.
Sukur, who reportedly left Turkey a year ago, played for Inter Milan and Galatasaray and was Turkey’s top goal-scorer in worldwide competitions.
Cavusoglu said they are also investigating media reports that a Turkish diplomat at Turkey’s embassy in Bangladesh has fled to Russian Federation.
Turkey has branded Gulen’s movement a terror organization and wants the cleric returned to Turkey to face trial.
Washington has so far refused to extradite Gulen, saying it needs evidence of his involvement in the abortive coup. “Our expectation for the U.S.to extradite Gulen as soon as possible”.
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The Turkish minister, for his turn, stressed, “The security and stability of Iran is Turkey’s security and stability and we believe this is the case with Iran, too”.
