A reset of Turkish-U.S. relations under incoming President Donald Trump should be a priority, including the much-delayed extradition of the leader of FETO, the terrorist group blamed for this summer’s defeated coup in Turkey, according to a former U.S. lawmaker.
"The United States and Turkey must find a solution to address the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) problem," wrote former Republican Congressman Denny Rehberg in a guest op-ed published Friday by The Hill.
Ankara accuses FETO leader Fetullah Gulen, who has been living in the U.S. since 1999, of leading the July 15, 2016 coup plot, which left at least 248 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
Stressing that FETO has "a track record" of trying to destabilize Turkey and attack its own citizens by any means necessary, Rehberg argued that unless Gulen is extradited, "FETO will continue to pose a real threat” to Turkey and its allies, including the U.S.
The U.S. and Trump have a responsibility to help keep Turkey stable and work together with Turkey and its President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by extraditing Gulen, he argued.
He accused the U.S. of not having taken any steps or actions toward Gulen’s extradition. Since July 19, Turkey has been officially asking the U.S. to extradite Gulen.
For months, the U.S. has been reviewing documents that Turkey sent based on a 1979 extradition treaty between Ankara and Washington.
"Nothing has been done despite Turkey's ongoing official requests, the Turkish Justice Ministry sending various files and evidence of Gulen’s crimes, and Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag visit to Washington, D.C. to meet with U.S. Attorney General Lynch in efforts to expedite Gulen's extradition last October," Rehberg wrote.