ANKARA: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has given the United States an ultimatum for the extradition of Fetullah Gulen, accused of orchestrating the defeated coup.
Addressing a mass crowd in front of the Presidential Palace in Ankara, President Erdogan said US needs to choose either Gulen or Turkey.
He stressed his "one nation, one flag, one homeland, and one state" slogan.
President Erdogan had blamed US based Cleric Gulen for the failed military coup attempt in Turkey and had already requested United States to extradiate Gulen.
However United States has yet not extradited Gulen and had asked Turkey for concrete evidence against Gulen.
Relations between the two NATO allies are at odds over the issue of Gulen and if the issue is not resolved in near future then the things can go worse between the allies as Turkey seems serious in punishing Gulen for the failed military coup.
Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has announced Turkey and Russia will establish a joint military, intelligence and diplomacy mechanism.
The recent visit of President Erdogan to Russia in which he held one on one meeting with the Russian President Putin is another indication for the United States in Turkish Foreign Policy shift where it is aligning with Russia.
Turkey’s presidential spokesman said Turkey and Russia have formed new committees to discuss the Syrian crisis, which will meet for the first time in Moscow on Thursday.