Turkish president, Albanian premier discuss strengthening bilateral ties, fighting terrorism

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday held a telephone conversation with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, and discussed bilateral relations and regional and global issues, Türkiye's Communications Directorate said.

Erdogan said Türkiye-Albania relationship is at an advanced level, and that defense industry cooperation will be further strengthened through commercial, economic, and military contacts.

The Turkish leader referred to frustrating efforts by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) to gain a foothold in Albania, expressing confidence that the Balkan country would continue to work towards eliminating the group's structure in its education, health, and religious sectors.

FETO and its US-based leader Fethullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in Türkiye, in which 252 people were killed and 2,734 wounded.

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