Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the United States to extradite US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who he accuses of orchestrating the coup attempt against his rule – a claim the 75-year-old cleric denies. Addressing thousands of people gathered outside the presidential palace in Ankara, Erdogan said Washington needed to make a choice: “Sooner or later, the United States will make a choice. Either Turkey or Fethullah. They will either choose the putschist terrorist Fethullah or Turkey, the democratic country. They need to make a choice. We sent eighty-five boxes of files.” The speech by the Turkish leader was billed as the culmination of nightly rallies in cities across Turkey to show solidarity with the Islamist government since the attempted coup. Since the attempted-coup, the relations between Turkey and the West has worsened while on the other hand NATO-member Ankara has worked to advance reconciliation with Moscow, following months of strained relations.
