19 November 2016•Update: 20 November 2016
ANKARA
In an interview to be broadcast Sunday by popular U.S. news magazine 60 Minutes, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan talks about how he is “disillusioned” with U.S. policy.
When asked if he feels frustration towards Washington, he replied, “Well, let me be very frank in my remarks and I have been known for my candor. I would not speak the truth if I said I was not disillusioned. Because I am disillusioned.”
Referring to the July 15 coup attempt and U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, who Turkey has said organized the coup bid, he added: “I am not going to blame the U.S. But that is what my people will think. Why are you still keeping that man?
“So as long you harbor him there, I am sorry do not get offended, but this is the perception of the Turkish nation and the Turkish people.”
Turkey has called for Gulen’s extradition following the coup attempt, which left 248 people dead.
Erdogan also criticized U.S. policy on Syria, saying it had been discussed with outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
“They failed to rise to the occasion and handle these issues seriously,” Erdogan said. “This is quite upsetting for us.”
The interview comes just after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump nominated former Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn as his national security advisor. In an op-ed last week, before his nomination, Flynn compared Fethullah Gulen to Osama bin Ladin and urged that he be denied safe haven in the US.
60 Minutes, a long-running news magazine, is a major U.S. forum for newsmakers to get messages out. It interviewed both U.S. presidential candidates after their nominations this summer, as well as Trump after his surprise victory last week.
