Turkish PM: 'Coup attempt did not hit economy'

ISTANBUL

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Friday reiterated the deadly July 15 coup attempt "did not hit Turkey's economy," adding that both the banking and finance sectors have been operating well.

"Those who were expecting chaos and crisis [out of the coup attempt] are once more mistaken," he said.

The Turkish PM was addressing attendees in an Istanbul meeting on investment late Friday through teleconferencing.

He said Turkey has a foreign trade volume of over $350 billion, which he said was well above the national income of around 160 countries.

The foreign trade deficit also decreased by 25 per cent in 2015, Yildirim said.

Stating that Turkey's budget of 2016 was above that of other 130 countries, he said the country has a gross reserve of over $121 billion.

"A must for economic development is the democratic stability," Yildirim said. "Protecting the economic gains depends on protecting the democratic gains."

"Therefore, my dear friends, those who attacked Turkey's democracy [during July 15 attempted coup] also attacked our bread and butter," he said.

"We should always keep this fact in mind and be awake to the issue."

Turkey-Bulgaria talks on extraditing FETO members

Turkish Premier and his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borisov spoke over the phone late Friday, said sources from the prime ministry, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Yildirim told Borisov that Fetullah Terrorist Organization, or FETO, members who have recently been extradited to Turkey from Bulgaria would be tried fairly under the guarantee of the rule of law.

"I believe that Bulgaria's extradition is a good sample for other friendly and allied nations," Yildirim said.

On Wednesday, Abdullah Buyuk, who was known as the "safe box" of FETO terrorist organization, was extradited to Turkey after allegedly escaping to Bulgaria following an anti-terror operation in Turkey.

Bulgarian security forces passed him to Turkish counterparts at the Kapikule border check-point.

Bulgarian authorities declined Buyuk's asylum request, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced earlier Wednesday.

Ankara has repeatedly said the defeated coup, which martyred at least 240 and left nearly 2,200 injured, was organized by followers of U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen and his FETO group.

Gulen is also accused of leading a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of state institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state.

Turkey has sent official requests to the American authorities for Gulen's extradition, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania since 1997. The U.S. says still reviews the request.