Addressing Washington, he requested the handover of Gulen and said, “If we are strategic partners, then you should bring about our request”.
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Kerry, who spoke about Gulen during a visit to Luxembourg, said that no extradition request had been received. But by the time their print editions came out, Turkey’s government had largely succeeded in quashing the coup after a night of clashes that left dozens dead.
Erdogan has long accused Gulen, a former ally, of trying to overthrow the government.
Erdogan has cooperated with Washington in the fight against Islamic State, but relations have been rocky with USA criticism of Erdogan’s increasing authoritarianism, Turkey’s support for extremist opposition groups fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and the slow pace in sealing Turkey’s border with Syria to foreign fighters. “And obviously we invited the government of Turkey, as we always do, to present us with any legitimate evidence that withstands scrutiny and the United States will accept that and look at it and make judgements about it appropriately”, he said.
The Federal Aviation Administration has banned all flights between the United States and airports in Turkey.
When fighter jets and military helicopters descended upon Istanbul and Ankara, Erdogan called his people to take to the streets and stand against the coup and the Turkish people responded fervently to protect the democracy they often criticise outspokenly.
“We support the will of the people reflected in the democratic system and the democratically elected leadership of Turkey”, he said.
“Not only is the government unstable but the military is also unstable”, Stein said, which could lead to more trouble, more fractures, and increased instability for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member. His movement, called Hizmet, which means “service”, includes think tanks, various media enterprises and schools in many countries, including charter schools in the U.S. In an op-ed written for The New York Times a year ago, Gulen said the Erdogan administration had “squandered” an opportunity to transform Turkey into “a functioning democracy that upholds universal human rights, gender equality, the rule of law and the rights of Kurdish and non-Muslim citizens”.
“Government should be won through a process of free and fair elections, not force”, he said. “I pray to God for Turkey, for Turkish citizens, and for all those now in Turkey that this situation is resolved peacefully and quickly”. “I categorically deny such accusations”.
Reiterating his demand, Erdogan said, “I repeat my call on the US and president [Barack Obama], give this person back to Turkey”. He said Turkey would resume operations with the USA -led coalition once the anti-coup operations were completed. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was quick to speak with Turkey’s foreign minister.
Nevertheless the attempted coup lit up the night sky in Ankara and Istanbul. Washington’s top diplomat said that the embassy was seeking to confirm that no USA citizens traveling in Turkey had been harmed, and expressed US condolences to the relatives of those who have died. The uprising appears not to have been backed by the most senior ranks of the military, and Turkey’s main opposition parties quickly condemned the attempted overthrow of the government. One hundred and sixty-one people were killed, including many civilians, in the ensuing violence.
Among those detained were top military commanders, including the head of the Second Army which protects the country’s borders with Syria, Iraq and Iran, state-run Anadolu news agency said.
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Kerry said the US had no indication beforehand of the coup attempt, which began as he and Russia’s foreign minister were in a Russian government villa in Moscow, locked in negotiations over Syria. “So it surprised everyone”.
