Justice Minister Akın Gürlek hosted Dutch Minister of Justice and Security David van Weel on Wednesday. The meeting inevitably focused on the extradition of the terror suspects wanted by Türkiye. Gürlek highlighted the fact that they were still awaiting the extradition of 217 Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and eight PKK members from the Netherlands, the ministry said in a statement regarding the meeting.

The Netherlands’ permissive stance toward members of FETÖ and the PKK has been a thorn in relations between the two countries in the past, and Gürlek’s statement indicated that the issue has lingered.

Gürlek, who was appointed as minister in February after serving as a chief prosecutor investigating, among others, FETÖ-related cases, told the Dutch counterpart that his visit would contribute to improving existing cooperation between the two countries. The minister stated that Türkiye and the Netherlands had deep ties, and the about 500,000-strong Turkish community in the Netherlands played a significant role in strengthening the ties.

The minister also reminded that Türkiye and the Netherlands are allies in NATO. "We attach importance to developing dialogue and cooperation with our ally, the Netherlands, at a time of heightened global and regional risks,” he said.

"We particularly value mutual judicial cooperation between the two countries on issues such as organized crime, the fight against organized crime, drug trafficking, migrant smuggling and the laundering of proceeds of crime. Cooperation between judicial authorities will also strengthen the cooperation between the countries and undertake an important task in terms of the effectiveness of international justice."

Reminding that 251 people were martyred during the July 15, 2016 coup attempt by FETÖ, Gürlek underlined the threat it posed.

"Due to the judicial processes carried out within this scope, our ministry has conveyed requests for mutual legal assistance to your ministry and your competent authorities,” he told the Dutch counterpart. "However, unfortunately, some problems have arisen regarding the fulfillment of these requests. Our country's determined fight against the FETÖ, which targets the constitutional order and usurps the national will, continues. In this context, we hope that the authorities of the Netherlands, whom we see as a friend and ally, will help us and show cooperation, especially in terms of judicial assistance and the extradition of criminals."

FETÖ, which is known for its widespread infiltration in Türkiye, tried to overthrow the government three times in 2013 and 2016. When their network was uncovered in the wake of these attempts, members of the terrorist group fled abroad, mostly to Europe. Germany and the Netherlands were among the "safe havens” they found. European countries were quick to grant asylum to FETÖ members who portrayed themselves as members of the so-called innocuous-sounding "Service (or Gülen) Movement.”

Explaining that Türkiye has also been fighting the PKK terrorist group for over 40 years, Gürlek emphasized that it is also recognized as a terrorist group by the European Union. "We see that our extradition requests regarding the PKK, just like those regarding FETÖ, have unfortunately not resulted positively.”

The minister also urged the Netherlands not to grant asylum or hand out residence permits to members of FETÖ and the PKK and consider reviewing permits already issued.

Gürlek recalled that Tuesday was the anniversary of the killing of prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz, a former colleague of his, by the terrorist group Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), noting that Musa Aşoğlu, a senior leader of the group, was among those Türkiye sought to extradite from the Netherlands. "Unfortunately, no positive step has been taken so far. We sincerely believe that the demands and important sensitivities we have expressed will also be reciprocated by the Dutch authorities,” he said.

In addition to the fight against terrorism, Gürlek noted that there are extradition agreements with many countries within the scope of judicial cooperation to combat other international crimes, especially drug trafficking, money laundering and human trafficking.

"Thanks to the simultaneous ‘Operation Cloud’ coordinated between the Netherlands and Türkiye last April, drug traffickers were captured. In this context, we expect that those identified as being in the Netherlands, who have arrest warrants issued against them for drug trafficking, will likewise be extradited to our country.”

Gürlek also emphasized that the presence of the Turkish community in the Netherlands, as well as the safety and well-being of citizens, is of particular importance. He stated that they are closely monitoring with concern the rise of racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia, especially in Western Europe.

Pointing out that such threats have been increasing recently, Gürlek stressed that they were saddened to learn that two Muslim women were subjected to police violence in the Netherlands at the end of January. He expressed their belief that necessary measures should be taken against such incidents.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) after the meeting, van Weel said Dutch-Turkish ties have been perfect, adding that they may cooperate more in counterterrorism and fight against organized crime. The minister said they had close ties with Türkiye in counterterrorism, reminding that the PKK and DHKP-C were recognized as terrorist groups by the Netherlands. "Counterterrorism cooperation contributes to the security of the two countries,” he said.