US not an ally but an enemy: Turkish pro government media
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ANKARA - Turkish officials had expressed hope of a new page in Ankara-Washington relations under President Donald Trump after bickering in the last months of Barack Obama´s term.
So far, Erdogan has been careful not to take aim at Trump during the dispute, putting the blame squarely on Bass.
He said that if the order to suspend visa issuance came from Bass, then the US administration "should not keep him here one more minute".
"They need to ask him, How can you break relations between the United States and Turkey, who gave you this authority?" he demanded.
But Nauert responded that Bass had been operating with the full authority of the US government.
"He´s one of the best ambassadors that we have out there. Proud to have him serving in Turkey and looking forward to having him in his next post," she said.
"This was coordinated with the State Department. It was coordinated with the White House and coordinated with the NSC," she said, referring to the National Security Council.
Turkish pro-government media have rounded on the United States, with the Yeni Safak daily describing the US as "not an ally but an enemy".
Ties have also frayed over the refusal of the United States to extradite Gulen, and its support for Kurdish militias in Syria.
Meanwhile, American pastor Andrew Brunson, who ran a church in the western city of Izmir, has been held since October 2016 on charges of being a member of Gulen´s group.
Erdogan suggested last month Turkey could release him in exchange for Gulen but the US, which treats extraditions as a judicial matter, has shown no interest in the idea.
Ankara is also angry over the US arrest of Mehmet Hakan Atilla, deputy chief executive at state lender Halkbank, and Iranian-Turkish businessman Reza Zarrab.
