Turkey gives U.S. more files on extradition request of Gulen

Turkey has provided the United States with additional files for the extradition request of Fetullah Gulen, a cleric whom Ankara accused of orchestrating the failed coup in July, Turkey's Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said Thursday.

At a news conference at the Turkish embassy in Washington D.C., Bozdag said the Turkish side submitted to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch three folders containing the additional information and documents requested by the United States.

He called on the U.S. authorities to process the files and not to "ignore the legal procedure or the law."

Turkey has repeatedly demanded Gulen's extradition following the attempted coup, while U.S. officials insisted that they can only extradite him if Turkey presents proof regarding his direct involvement in the coup.

Turkey, a NATO ally for the United States, is a major member of the U.S.-led coalition in the fight against the Islamic State terrorist group.

At the press conference, Bozdag said he did not believe Washington would "sacrifice" its friendship with Turkey for a leader of a terrorist organization.

Gulen, who has lived in the United States since 1999, has denial Ankara's allegations.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the U.S. Justice Department said Lynch and Bozdag discussed that in the U.S. and Turkey "extraditions are subject to the judicial process, and accordingly must meet the evidentiary standards of the requested country."

The two officials pledged that their departments will continue the ongoing close and full cooperation, according to the statement. Endit