Turkish PM thanks Jordan for solidarity against FETO

By Burcu Arik

ANKARA

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim Tuesday expressed Ankara’s appreciation for the way Jordan supported Turkey following the deadly July 2016 coup attempt which martyred 249 people and injured thousands.

Speaking during a joint meeting with his Jordanian counterpart Hani al-Mulki in Ankara, Yildirim thanked Mulki for Jordan’s solidarity with Turkey in the fight against the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO.)

"Jordanian authorities decided to shut down the FETO schools in Amman after July 15, and expelled their employees. We will surely not forget that solidarity of the Jordanian people with us," Yildirim added.

FETO, led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, has been accused of orchestrating the defeated coup of July 2016.

Following the failed coup, Ankara asked Amman as well as a number of other capitals around the world to hand over networks of schools in their countries linked to FETO.

Along with Jordan, countries such as Azerbaijan, Somalia, Niger, Senegal, Mauritania, Chad, Burkina Faso, and Guinea have signed agreements for the handover of FETO-linked schools.

So far, over 80 FETO organizations operating abroad, including schools and training centers, have been shut down or transferred to the Turkish government.

Regional terror threat

On regional security issues, Yildirim said Jordan and Turkey are the two countries most affected by the current instability in Syria and Iraq.

"Our region has been going through hard times. But Jordan and Turkey are on the front line in fighting terrorism," the premier said.

Asked about Tuesday’s meeting of the Turkish, U.S., and Russian military chiefs in the Mediterranean province of Antalya, Yildirim said all coalition forces, as well as Iran, Russia and the U.S., should work in cooperation to fight terrorism.

"The common threat and common enemy are the elements of terror that disrupt peace in the region and prevent a peaceful, permanent political solution in Syria."

"It is necessary to go over all of them with determination without making any distinction between terrorist elements," Yildirim added.

Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, and Russian First Deputy Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov exchanged views on the security situation in the region, particularly Syria and Iraq, the Turkish military said.

The meeting came ahead of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's two-day visit to Moscow expected to start on Thursday.

For his part, Mulki stressed Jordan’s solidarity with Turkey against terror.

"We always stand in solidarity against those who try to destabilize this region. We must work together to overcome the challenges ahead," he added.