US Vice President Joe Biden is expected to visit Turkey in late August. The news came as Turkey’s Prime MinisterBinaliYildirimconfirmed Ankara would not make any compromises over the extradition of exiled cleric FethullahGulen.
In his statement on Saturday, Yildirim stressed that Ankara could not make any compromises with the United States over the extradition request of cleric FethullahGulen, who Turkey blames for orchestrating the attempted coup on July 15, AFP reported.
“The American vice president is expected to come to Turkey, on August 24 with the American delegation,” Yildirim was quoted as saying by CNN Turk.
“The main element improving our relations with the US is the extradition of Gulen, where there is no room for negotiation. Whether or not the anti-Americanism in Turkey will continue is also dependent on this.”
Turkey’s Justice Minister BekirBozdag had previously warned the US not to endanger bilateral relations over the Gulen affair.
Biden’s visit has not yet been confirmed by the United States, but would be the first time a top western leader has visited Turkey since the attempted putsch. A faction within the military, which Turkey accuses of being associated with Gulen’s “Hizmet” movement, failed to oust President RecepTayyipErdogan.
US Secretary of State John Kerry was also announced to visit Turkey some time in October.
Yildirim’s comments came soon after Turkish Foreign Minister MevlutCavusoglu had announced that Turkey started receiving “positive signals” from Washington regarding its extradition request.
Turkish authorities said they had prepared an official request for the temporary arrest of United States-based Gulen ahead of any potential extradition, saying they had determined the coup had been staged upon orders by the cleric.
The request has reportedly been submitted to Turkey’s Justice Ministry for it to be relayed to US authorities, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency.
Gulen denies the accusations against him; the US has asked Turkey to provide evidence for any extradition or arrest to be considered, which Ankara claims it has done by sending several documentsto that end. Under a new initiative, Gulen could face the death penalty in Turkey, if it were to be reintroduced.
