MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim congratulated US President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his upcoming inauguration on Friday, expressing hope that bilateral relations with the United States will improve.
"Turkey-U.S. relations have a deep-rooted history, as we are NATO allies. There were mistakes made during the time of the previous administration, and there was some coldness between the two countries. We believe that under the new administration, we will leave this behind," Yilidirim said, as quoted by Yeni Safak news outlet.
The extradition of Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, accused by Ankara of masterminding the military coup attempt on July 15, from the United States to Turkey, could be a first step to improve the bilateral relations, the prime minister stressed.
On January 9, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed hope that the country's relations with the United States would gain pace after Trump assumed office.
The relations between the two countries began deteriorating due to Washington’s support for Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) forces to counter jihadist group Daesh (outlawed in Russia) in Syria and its refusal to hand over Gulen.
On Friday, the US president-elect is scheduled to be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. Trump’s inauguration ceremony is held in the Capitol in Washington, DC.
