US Vice President Joe Biden will visit Turkey on August 24 according to Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım.
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After Turkey’s public criticism of the USA and its threats, the country submitted a formal request to the United States today, demanding that exiled cleric, Fetullah Gulen, be extradited as Turkey blames him for planning last month’s failed coup attempt.
Police teams on Monday apprehended 136 personnel in operations conducted at three Istanbul courthouses as part of an investigation into the July 15 abortive coup. Ankara alleges Gulen was responsible for the violent coup attempt that left over 270 people dead.
In Washington, The White House confirmed that Biden will travel to Turkey on August 24.
The U.S., however, said it is still reviewing the request’s formality. Secretary of State John Kerry is due in October, broadcaster CNN Turk reported. The football is believed to be residing in the United States.
Ankara already has asked for the extradition of Fethullah Gulen, whom it accuses of the plot to take down President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the failed coup attempt earlier this summer.
Gülen is also accused of leading a long-running campaign to overthrow the Turkish government through the infiltration of state institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state.
“If a tenth of the accusations against me are established, I pledge to return to Turkey and serve the heaviest sentence”, he said in an opinion piece in French daily Le Monde.
Authorities have suspended, detained or begun investigating tens of thousands of soldiers, police, judges, journalists and civil servants. The crackdown has raised concerns in the West that Erdogan is using the purge to crack down on dissent.
Last month a coup by the Turkish military failed to oust President Erdogan. Turkish officials counter they are confronting an major internal threat.
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In all, more than 35,000 people have been detained in the investigation, including 17,000 who have been placed formally under arrest.
