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Turkey expects Greece to send back 'traitors'

July 22, 2016 at 11:09 am

Turkey expects Greece to send back eight fugitive “traitors” who fled following the July 15 failed coup, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Friday.

“The coup plotters are asking for political asylum. [But] they cannot be included under political asylum.

“What we expect from Greek authorities is that they cooperate [with Turkey] and send these traitors back,” Cavusoglu told Turkey’s state news channel TRT.

A Greek court on Thursday sentenced the eight Turkish soldiers to two months in prison for illegally entering the country, with the sentences suspended as their asylum requests are evaluated.

About Turkey’s request for extradition of US-based preacher Fetullah Gulen, who is accused of being behind the deadly coup attempt, Cavusoglu also said Turkey expects “concrete results” from the U.S.

Cavusoglu said Turkey’s expectations from the U.S. are “clear.”

Gulen and his followers are also accused of infiltrating critical Turkish state institutions with the aim of creating a “parallel state.”

Turkey provided a formal extradition request for Gulen earlier this week. The U.S. is currently reviewing the documents, according to the State Department.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden assured Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim in a telephone call Thursday that the extradition request for the FETO terrorist group leader would be examined closely and as soon as possible.

During the July 15 failed coup, at least 246 people, including members of the security forces and civilians, were martyred, and more than 1,500 others protesting the failed putsch were wounded.