NATO welcomes Ankara-Washington dialogue on fighting against terrorism
By Kamila Aliyeva
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reacted positively to U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s official visit to Turkey on March 30, Anadolu Agency reported.
Speaking ahead a NATO Foreign Ministers Summit in Brussels, Stoltenberg welcomed the discussion on fighting against Daesh and cooperation in Syria between two allies of the military alliance.
“I just welcome that two allies the United States and Turkey sat together and discussed how to, in the best possible way, fight against ISIL [Daesh] and to make sure that they work together to fight in the best possible way in northern Syria,” Stoltenberg said.
His statement comes amid Tillerson’s visit to Ankara where he met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
During his meeting with Turkish officials Tillerson discussed Turkey’s fight against Daesh, the PKK, the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and the extradition of FETO leader Fetullah Gulen who resides in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Following the meeting, Cavusoglu stated that Washington is coming to agreement with Turkey’s view that the terrorist PKK and its Syria wing, the YPG, are indistinguishable. He also said that Turkish authorities have made it clear to U.S. officials that it makes no sense to cooperate with one terrorist group -- the PKK/YPG -- to fight another -- Daesh.
As for Fetullah Gulen’s extradition, Cavusoglu said that Turkey has been sending the U.S. documents and evidence for Gulen's provisional arrest as well as extradition since last July.
"As our justice minister and Mr. Tillerson told us, the documents are still being examined in detail," he said adding that Turkey expects “some concrete steps, at least some measures at the administrative level.”
Led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, FETO is accused of orchestrating the July 2016 coup plot in Turkey as well as being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.
The Turkish government has repeatedly requested Gulen’s extradition, while the Obama administration has said extradition is a lengthy, demanding legal procedure.
Foreign ministers of 28 member states of the intergovernmental military alliance will come together at its headquarters in Brussels on Friday to discuss defense spending and the fight against terrorism.
Turkish FM Cavusoglu is expected to attend the meeting which will also pave the way for a Brussels gathering of NATO leaders on May 25.
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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva
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