17 May 2018•Update: 18 May 2018
By Coskun Ergul
ANKARA
Lawmakers from Turkey's ruling party have written a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, reminding him of the Turkish demand to extradite mastermind of defeated 2016 coup and halting support to PYD/YPG terror group.
The letter, signed by 303 MPs, was handed over to an official of the U.S. Embassy in Ankara on Thursday.
Mustafa Elitas, deputy chairman of ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party’s parliamentary group, and Turkish parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee head Volkan handed over the letter to Jeffrey Hulse, head of the U.S. Embassy’s Foreign Political Developments section.
The letter, prepared under the initiative of Bozkir, was written in response to an earlier one by the U.S. Congress sent to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
On April 20, a total of 66 American senators sent a letter to Erdogan that criticized the detention and trial process of American Pastor Andrew Brunson who is facing terror charges in Turkey; 154 members of the U.S. House of Representatives had also signed a letter with similar context on May 4, which also addressed Erdogan.
Speaking to reporters, said Turkey-U.S. relations were going through a delicate and fragile process due to developments in the region.
“This process should be carried out with diligence, care and attention,” he added.
The letter to Trump touches on two main issues between the countries: Turkey’s demand for extradition of Gulen, the U.S.-based mastermind of a defeated 2016 coup attempt in Turkey organized by the Terrorist Organization (FETO), and the demand that U.S. halt its support to PYD/YPG terrorist organization, PKK's offshoot in Syria.
