Turkey hopes for progress with US on Gulen, terrorism

By Murat Egilmez and Etem Geylan

ISTANBUL

Turkey - U.S. relations are more important than any individual American president, Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister said Saturday.

Numan Kurtulmus told reporters in Istanbul the election of Donald Trump was a major development for the region and the world.

"This is the American people's choice," he said.

Kurtulmus said Turkey hoped the partnership with the U.S. in Syria and Iraq would become results-based. He said Ankara wanted to see the U.S. end its backing for PKK-linked forces in Syria and work with its NATO allies in the region.

The minister also said Ankara hoped the extradition process of Fetullah Gulen from the U.S. would accelerate.

Kurtulmus said these moves would contribute to regional peace and also serve the national interests of the U.S.

Gulen extradition

Elsewhere on Saturday, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag told reporters in Turkey’s central Yozgat province he believed Turkey-U.S. ties would improve following Trump’s election.

Bozdag added that Turkey's expectation of the successful extradition of Gulen had improved.

Gulen, who has resided in U.S. state of Pennsylvania since 1999, is the alleged mastermind behind the failed bloody July 15 coup attempt in Turkey.

Since then, Turkey has officially requested his extradition from the U.S., based on a 1979 treaty between two countries.

At Washington’s request, Turkey sent evidence to the U.S. which summarized four previously sent files. A U.S. delegation visited Turkey at the end of August and reviewed those documents.

The U.S. then wanted an additional batch of files and evidence from Turkey, which Bozdag presented to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch during a meeting last month.

The extradition treaty includes an article that a suspect should be provisionally arrested until the extradition process starts.

Under normal circumstances, Gulen should have been arrested as Turkey made its official request on Sept. 10.