Turkey has two main demands from Trump to mend ties with US - Chavushoglu

Turkey has two main expectations from the incoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump, Turkey’s foreign minister has said, naming them as the extradition of Fethullah Gulen, the alleged mastermind of the July 2016 coup attempt, and the cessation of cooperation with Syrian Kurds against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).   

“We believe that the new administration [of US President-elect Donald Trump] will not continue the same mistakes [committed by the outgoing administration of Barack Obama]. We have two main expectations. First, the extradition of the head of FETO [Fethullahist Terror Organization] as soon as possible. Second, ending cooperation with the YPG [People’s Protection Units], an affiliate of the PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party],” Foreign Minister Mevlut Chavushoghlu said in an address to Turkish ambassadors gathered in Ankara for an annual conference on January 9, according to Hurriyet Daily News.

Recalling that the fulfillment of the two expectations would have great importance in regards to Turkish-US relations, Chavushoghlu said: “Turkey and US are two strategic partners who have capabilities and power to create positive impacts over a wide region. We believe this cooperation must be preserved.”