Turkish town revokes sister city protocol with Frisco, Texas, amid tensions with US

ADANA – Demirören News Agency

The municipal council of Ceyhan district in Turkey’s southern province of Adana has revoked the town twinning protocol with Frisco city in the United States over the disputes between the two countries.

Ceyhan Municipal Council on Aug. 4 unanimously voted for revoking the protocol signed in January 2015 between then Ceyhan Mayor Alemdar Öztürk and then Frisco Mayor Maher Maso.

Councilor Eyüp İkidağ, a member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), tabled a motion to revoke the protocol citing the disputes between the U.S. and Turkey.

“It is a very kind of our councilor Eyüp İkidağ to think of revoking the sister city decision in a response to the U.S.” said Ceyhan Deputy Mayor Ali Alper Boydak.

“It is out of the question for us to be sisters or brothers with those who cooperate with terrorist organizations,” he added, referring to the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and the illegal network of the U.S. based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen.

Turkey deems the YPG an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union.

The Gülenists, called the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) by authorities, have been widely believed to be behind the coup attempt of July 15, 2016 which claimed lives of more than 200 people.

The relations between Turkey and the U.S. have been strained over a number of issues ranging from the imprisonment of American pastor Andrew Brunson to U.S. backing the YPG, and Turkey’s purchase of S-400 missile defense system from Russia.

Turkey's insistent requests for the extradition of Gülen have been unmet so far.

Turkey has decided to freeze the assets of two U.S. ministers in retaliation to Washington's sanctions against Turkish interior and justice ministers.