Erdogan: If the U.S. does not extradite Gulen, the criminal extradition agreement will be canceled

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, said on Thursday that if the U.S. does not extradite Fethullah Gulen, who is accused by Ankara of orchestrating the failed coup in 2016, the criminal extradition agreement with the U.S. will be canceled. According to Reuters, the Turkish government has repeatedly requested the extradition of Gulen, a Turkish cleric residing in the U.S., who has denied the accusations. U.S. officials have stated that Gulen's extradition requires substantial evidence to be presented to their judicial authorities. Erdogan, in a speech to a group of government officials at the Turkish presidential palace, said: "We have handed over 12 terrorists to the U.S. so far, but they have not handed over the person we want and are making baseless excuses." He added, "If you do not give him (Fethullah Gulen) to us, I’m sorry, but from now on, whenever you request another terrorist, we will not hand them over to you as long as I am President." Turkey is a NATO member and considered an important U.S. ally in the Middle East. However, relations between the two countries have recently soured for various reasons, including U.S. military support and cooperation with Syrian Kurdish fighters and the indictment of a senior Turkish bank official for circumventing sanctions against Iran, which has implicated several senior Turkish officials in financial corruption. On Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated that relations between the two countries have deteriorated due to U.S. support for Syrian Kurds and the failure to extradite Gulen, and may worsen in the future. Erdogan also added on Thursday: "The U.S. does not listen to us but listens to Syrian Kurdish fighters. Can there be strategic cooperation under these circumstances? Turkey is not a country that can be destabilized by contradictory U.S. policies in the region." Last week, a jury in a U.S. court found a senior official of Turkey's state-owned Halkbank guilty of circumventing U.S. sanctions against Iran. Erdogan condemned this legal case, describing it as "a political coup" by the CIA, FBI, and Gulen's supporters to undermine the Turkish government. The two countries have also recently suspended visa issuance for each other's citizens for several months due to a dispute over the arrest of two Turkish consulate employees in the U.S. suspected of involvement in the failed coup in 2016. In this context, Turkey labeled the New York court ruling against the Halkbank director as a "legal disgrace." The U.S. and Turkey resumed bilateral visa services, and the New York judge rejected Gulen's involvement in the trial of Zarrab and Atilla. Erdogan stated that U.S. courts cannot prosecute Turkey. Turkey also announced that the U.S. will no longer supply weapons to the People's Protection Units. Cavusoglu described the Zarrab case as "fabricated" and politically motivated. Erdogan expressed that the suspension of visa issuance by the U.S. is a distressing issue.