U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to Visit Turkey Aug 24

United States Vice President Joe Biden will visit Turkey on August 24, CNN has reported.

Biden will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim “to discuss the US-Turkey relationship and a range of issues of importance to both nations," CNN quoted the White House as saying  in a statement on Saturday.

Ankara’s request for the extradition of Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric living in exile in the Unites States, is likely to be discussed during Biden’s visit. Turkey accuses Gulen iof orchestrating the abortive coup attempt on July 15 organized by his followers and his FETO group, to which Ankara refers as a terrorist organisation. 

Gulen has denied any involvement.

The U.S. Vice President will be the highest-ranking U.S. official to Visit Turkey since the failed putsch.

Binali Yildirim has said that Turkey could not compromise with the United States over its request for the extradition of Gulen. The United States has said that it must have evidence against Gulen the cleric in order to justify turning him over to Turkey.

“The U.S. stance is getting better,” Yıldırım told Turkish journalists on Saturday, according to hurriyetdailynews.com.