His visit comes amid strained relations between the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies following the July 15 failed coup bid in Turkey.
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“Ankara’s request for the U.S.+to+Extradite%C2%A0Cleric+Blamed+for+Organising+Coup+Attempt#sthash.GC94rSs2.dpuf” extradition of Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric living in exile in the Unites States, is likely to be discussed during Biden’s visit.
Police in Istanbul have raided three courthouses to enforce detention warrants against 173 judicial-system personnel wanted in connection with the failed coup attempt last month.
On Friday, Turkey’s foreign and justice ministers announced that a four-person delegation from the U.S. Justice Department will be arriving on August 22 and meet with their Turkish counterparts on the following two days to discuss the extradition request.
Yesterday, the Turkish Foreign Minister announced at a press conference that he is receiving “positive signals” from the United States government in regards to extraditing Gulen.
Speaking to media at Çankaya Palace in Ankara on Saturday, Yıldırım also confirmed US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit sometime in October.
On Friday, Cavusoglu also said there were 32 “missing” diplomats in various countries following the coup attempt and that the Turkish government would also be seeking their extradition.
He said that since the coup attempt on 15-16 July, 76,597 civil servants had been suspended over links to the coup attempt, and 4,897 had been dismissed from their posts, bringing the total number to 81,974.
Anadolu reported Saturday that Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced U.S. Vice President Joe Biden would be visiting Turkey during that time.
The request has been submitted to Turkey’s Justice Ministry for it to be relayed to USA authorities, Anadolu said.
He said Ekrem Beyaztas, chief prosecutor in Erzurum province, was imprisoned by border guards in Kilis province.
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Turkish bureaucrats say they have offered over pamphlets to US officials concerning Gulen. The crackdown has raised concerns in the West that Erdogan is using the purge to crack down on dissent. Newspapers and broadcasters have given extensive coverage of statements from detained military officers since last month. Turkish officials counter they are confronting an major internal threat. “This is turning into a witch hunt, losing its credibility”, Deputy Prime Minister Tugrul Turkes, formerly a member of the nationalist opposition party and now a member of the ruling AK Party founded by Erdogan, told CNN Turk.
