"Unfortunately, the United States is still acting insincerely", Erdogan told the broadcaster A Haber, expressing his regret over "Washington’s unconstructive position" concerning the extradition of Gulen.
After a failed coup that occurred in mid-2016, Ankara detained thousands of journalists, diplomats, judges, members of the military, and human rights activists, accusing them of having a role in the attempted government overthrow and having ties to Gulen. The cleric, living in self-imposed exile in the United States, said he was not involved.
READ MORE: About Face: Turkish Foreign Minister Claims Trump Will Extradite Fethullah Gulen
The Turkish authorities have repeatedly sent extradition requests to the US, but Washington has refused to hand over Gulen, who has been residing in the United States since 1999.
According to Anakara, the movement of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, which Turkish authorities refer to as the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO), played a key role in the military takeover attempt in 2016.
READ MORE: Turkey Prevented 36 FETO Suspects From Fleeing to Europe Since Failed Coup