Turkish PM Binali Yıldırım meets Kyrgyz president in Ankara

ANKARA

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım met Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov in the Turkish capital Ankara on April 10, state-run Anadolu Agency reported, citing a source in the Turkish premier’s office.

“Turkey wants to see more concrete steps soon from Kyrgyzstan in [the fight against] FETÖ’s [Fethullahist Terrorist Organization] presence in the country,” Yıldırım said, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

The movement of U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fetullah Gülen, an ally turned nemesis of the government, is widely believed to have orchestrated the July 2016 coup attempt, which left 250 people dead and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses the group of a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, the police and the judiciary.

The premier also said Kyrgyzstan and Turkey were both brotherly countries and bilateral relations would be enhanced further.He also expressed Turkey’s readiness to support Kyrgyzstan and said the target was to increase bilateral trade volume to $1 billion.

About possible cooperation between the two countries in order to enhance the efficiency of small-and-medium enterprises, Yıldırım said increasing the number of flights between Turkey and Kyrgyzstan might contribute to strengthening ties.

Jeenbekov later visited the Turkish National Assembly and met Turkish Parliament speaker İsmail Kahraman.

The Kyrgyz president said his meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım was constructive and positive.

“Our cooperation with our brotherly country and Turkey’s parliament is of great importance to Kyrgyzstan,” Jeenbekov said, adding that his country would make use of the experience of the Turkish Parliament.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on April 9 said Turkey would “help Kyrgyzstan in the fight against FETÖ.”

“Turkey will continue its fight against FETÖ at home and abroad until the last FETÖ traitor is held to account before the law,” Erdoğan said at a joint press conference at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara alongside his visiting Kyrgyz counterpart Sooronbay Jeenbekov.

“We will be with him [Jeenbekov] in the fight against FETÖ with our respective departments,” he said, adding that FETÖ also posed “a great threat to Kyrgyzstan” and had “tried to derail Turkey-Kyrgyzstan relations.”

“I believe that President Jeenbekov will be much more vigorous against FETÖ and take the necessary measures promptly,” he added.