U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday assured Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım that America "would work" together with Turkey on the extradition of alleged coup leader, Fetullah Gülen.
Biden acknowledged Turkey's expectation regarding the extradition request during a telephone call to Yıldırım and said the U.S. would continue to support its ally, according to prime ministry sources.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media, the sources told Anadolu Agency that Biden said the ultimate decision rests with U.S. courts.
Biden also praised the courage of Turks in the face of the coup attempt, once again condemning the July 15 overthrow attempt.
Yıldırım in turn said Turkey had long warned the U.S. administration about "the harmful activities of Fetullah Gülen as well as his terrorist organization," and expected the U.S., an ally, to extradite him. Turkey submitted a formal extradition request for Gülen earlier this week. The U.S. is currently reviewing the documents, according to the State Department.
Elsewhere, U.K. Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Sir Alan Duncan said on Thursday that the county's government attaches importance to Turkey's security and stability as its strong partner and ally, according to Turkish Prime Ministry sources.
Duncan arrived in the Turkish capital and was received by Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım at Parliament nearly a week after the deadly coup attempt.
Duncan visited the Parliament building, which was damaged during the coup attempt, and expressed his sorrows.
He conveyed his condolences to the victims' families, to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the prime minister.
According to Prime Ministry sources who cannot be named due to restrictions on speaking with the media, he said that the U.K. believed that Turkey would continue its counterterrorism against the Gülenist Terror Organization (FETÖ) within the framework of democracy and the rule of law. Duncan added that people should be careful to not give credit to FETÖ supporters' perception management in the Western media, said the sources.
The British minister also expressed confidence that Turkey's state of emergency, which was approved by Parliament for three months, would end once the government achieved its goals.
