Former US lawmaker urges better ties with Turkey

By Esra Kaymak Avci

ANKARA (AA) - A possible reset of Turkish-U.S. relations under incoming President Donald Trump is high on the agenda as President Barack Obama has less than a week in office, according to a former U.S. lawmaker.

"The hope is that President Trump and his officials will cultivate more closely a diplomatic relationship with Turkish President Erdogan than President Obama had left fallow over the past eight years," former Republican Congressman Denny Rehberg said in a guest op-ed published Friday by The Hill.

According to Rehberg, among several issues that concern both Turkey and the U.S., the extradition of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization's (FETO) U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen nears the top of the agenda. He accused the U.S. of not having taken any steps or actions toward Gulen’s extradition.

Gulen, who has lived in Pennsylvania since 1999, is the mastermind behind the failed July 15, 2016 coup attempt, according to Turkey. Since July 19, Turkey has been officially asking the U.S. to extradite Gulen.

For months, the U.S. has been reviewing documents that Turkey sent based on a 1979 extradition treaty between Ankara and Washington.

"Nothing has been done despite Turkey's ongoing official requests, the Turkish Justice Ministry sending various files and evidence of Gulen’s crimes, and Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag visit to Washington, D.C. to meet with U.S. Attorney General Lynch in efforts to expedite Gulen's extradition last October," Rehberg wrote.

- Facing terrorism as partners

Calling ties with Turkey "critical to regional security and the management of regional crises" as Ankara is a key NATO ally for the U.S., Rehberg said the ongoing conflict at Turkey's borders is a significant international security issues.

He added that rising tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia has added more complexity, regional instability, and uncertainty to the conflict as well as that the Russia’s influence in the region continues to expand.

"In order to defeat our enemies and ensure regional stability, Turkey and the United States must stand side-by-side and face terrorism head-on – as partners," Rehberg stated.

The former congressman also stressed that the 50-year-plus U.S-Turkish relations have never been as "critical" and "pivotal" as today, especially in the fight against Daesh and other terrorist groups at large.

-FETO threat

According to Rehberg, both countries have cooperated in several anti-terrorism projects since 2011, such as co-chairing the Global Counter-terrorism Forum (GCTF) to help combat the rise of extremism.

"It’s for these reasons that the United States and Turkey must find a solution to address the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) problem," he wrote.

Stressing that the Gulen network has "a track record" of trying to destabilize Turkey and attack its own citizens by any means necessary, Rehberg argued that unless Gulen is extradited, "FETO will continue to pose a real threat” to Turkey and its allies, including the U.S.

He also said that the U.S. and Trump have a responsibility to help keep Turkey stable and work together with Turkey and its President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by extraditing Gulen.

Rehberg served as congressman for the western U.S. state of Montana from 2001 to 2013.