Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said on July 18 that Turkey may question its friendship with the U.S. amid calls for the extradition of U.S.-based scholar Fethullah Gülen after a failed coup attempt.
“Even questioning our friendship may be brought to the agenda here. Nonetheless, our Justice Ministry is conducting the necessary work,” Yıldırım told reporters while speaking at a press conference after a cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara.
| Okay, go your own way. We can pull NATO, our military support, and our dollars. Enjoy your new friend Vlad Putin... |
The premier also added there was no better evidence than the July 15 coup attempt for the extradition of Gülen, as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had earlier requested Ankara send evidence to support Gülen’s extradition.
“Is there better evidence than this? We will be a little bit disappointed if our friends say ‘show us the evidence’ while there are members of this organization which is trying to destroy a state and a person who instructs it,” Yıldırım said.
Ankara has repeatedly called on the U.S. for the extradition for Gülen, who was accused of masterminding the failed coup attempt in the country late on July 15. |