Turkish FM urges US to see real face of FETÖ amid investigations

HOUSTON

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu urged the U.S. to see the real face of FETÖ amid the ongoing investigations into the group which orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 wounded.

“We are making efforts to improve our relations with the U.S. I hope entire America, not just the FBI, will see what this FETÖ organization is with the ongoing investigations,” Çavuşoğlu said while meeting with citizens at the Turkish Consulate General in Houston on Jan. 19

Stating that the educational institutions belonging to FETÖ were closed in many countries and their members were handed over to Türkiye, Çavuşoğlu said, “I hope the U.S. will also return them.”

Referring to the ongoing investigation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in different states, Çavuşoğlu said: “They also came to Ankara and gave information about this investigation.”

“The FBI personally told us that they have seen the dark side of the FETÖ terrorist organization, that they have resorted to all kinds of methods, including human smuggling, irregularities in visas and money laundering, but that they are better at people and technology than anyone else,” he added.

Türkiye has been struggling abroad against not only the lobbies of different countries but also terrorist organizations, Çavuşoğlu said.

“On the one hand, the activities of the PKK, the PKK/YPG/PYD are all the same organization, on the other hand, the presence of FETÖ in this country. Our fight against these terrorist organizations will continue until the end. If we don’t fight them, they’re fighting us. Therefore, in all respects, it is important for the safety of our country and yours,” he stated.

Türkiye demanded the extradition of Fethullah Gülen, the U.S based-leader of the FETÖ, from the U.S., but no positive response was given so far. FETÖ has a wide network abroad, including private schools serving as a revenue stream for the group, several of them in the U.S.

The group’s schools in the U.S. faced legal challenges of financial mismanagement, misappropriation of public funds, and abusing the migration process.