Lithuanian FM to visit Turkey Monday

By Rustam Mikayilli

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AA) - Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius will pay an official visit to Ankara on Monday following the deadly July 15 coup bid in Turkey.

Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Sunday Linkevicius will meet his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu during the visit.

The statement said both ministers will discuss cooperation between the two countries, Turkey-EU relations, NATO summit in Warsaw, relations with Russia, and the situation in Ukraine and Syria.

"Linkevicius will be the first foreign minister to visit Turkey after the July 15 among EU and NATO countries," the statement said.

According to the statement, Linkevicius will also visit the parliament building, which was heavily damaged during the coup attempt.

Following the defeated coup, Linkevicius had harshly condemned the attempt and expressed his support for Turkey.

Turkey's government has said the July 15 defeated coup, which left 240 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured, was organized by followers of Fetullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania since 1999, and his FETO network.

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

* Tutku Umac contributed to this report from Ankara.