Ankara has been angered by what it sees as lukewarm condemnation by its Western allies of the failed coup against President Tayyip Erdogan and the government, in which more than 270 people died.
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Yildirim also said the future of U.S.
“If the USA does not respond Turkey’s extradition request for Gulen, who is head of the FETO organization and has been living in US, this will inevitably affect the bilateral relations of the two countries”, Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview with Japanese news agency Kyodo.
The Obama administration says the extradition request will go through the proper legal channels.
His visit comes amid strained relations between the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies following the July 15 failed coup bid in Turkey. A U.S. Department of Justice team is due in Turkey this month.
“Even if the shock absorber of a vehicle breaks down, they say someone with [the Gulenists] has done this”.
The request by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s office claims it has determined the coup was staged upon orders by Gulen and that he be arrested prior to the submission of a formal extradition request.
Erdogan has said the purge is needed to wipe out what he calls the “virus” of Gulen from Turkish institutions.
He said officials are now trying to identify state workers linked to the terrorist organisation.
Separately, a senior intelligence officer said operatives linked to Gulen have had an active relationship with PKK militants.
Two fugitive staff colonels accused of involvement in the coup were detained in the central Turkish city of Konya along with one person helping to hide them, Anadolu said.
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With tensions rising with the West, Turkey has sought to normalise relations with Russia, sparking concerns Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin might use their detente to pressure Washington and the European Union. They were flown to Istanbul for questioning. “Whether or not the anti-Americanism in Turkey will continue is also dependent on this”.
