'FETO overshadows Turkey-Kyrgyzstan relations'

By Tolga Ozgenc

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AA) - The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) overshadows relations between Turkey and Kyrgyzstan, Turkey’s parliament speaker said on Thursday.

Binali Yildirim’s remarks came after his meeting with his Kyrgyz counterpart Dastanbek Djumabekov at the parliament in capital Bishkek.

The single issue which causes problems between Turkey and Kyrgyzstan is FETO, Yildirim said.

Referring to FETO, Binali cited late Kyrgyz writer Chinghiz Aitmatov: "They dress like you, talk like you and betray their own nation. They work against their own nation by uniting with the enemies of their nation."

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.