U.S. President Barack Obama spoke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on July 19, offering U.S. assistance as Ankara
investigates last week’s failed coup attempt, while also urging the
government to show restraint as it pursues those responsible for the
overthrow bid, the White House said in a statement.
“President
Obama made clear that the United States is willing to provide
appropriate assistance to Turkish authorities investigating the
attempted coup,” the statement read, adding that Obama had also
condemned “the attempt to violently remove the democratically-elected
civilian government of Turkey and expressed his support for Turkish
democracy.”
“He [Obama] further urged that the investigations and
prosecution of the coup’s perpetrators be conducted in ways that
reinforce public confidence in democratic institutions and the rule of
law.”
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said during a daily
press briefing on July 19 that the two leaders had discussed the status
of U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, whom Erdoğan has accused
of being behind the coup attempt and whose extradition Turkey has
sought.
Earnest said the Turkish government had filed materials
in electronic form with the U.S. government, which the Justice
Department and State Department were reviewing. He said any extradition
request from Turkey, once submitted, would be evaluated under the terms
of a treaty between the two countries and would not be made by Obama.
