TIRANA, July 19 – Turkey has vowed to root out supporters of cleric Fethullah Gà¼len blamed for an abortive coup in Ankara last week. Turkish officials have sent an official note to Albanian authorities warning that supporters of Gà¼lenhave infiltrated high level financial and political structures in Albania.
Sources from the Ministry of Interior Affairs told Tirana Times that Turkish officials have delivered a list of institutions and individuals that receive financing from FETO organization run by theologian and Muslim preacher Fethullah Gà¼len who now resides in the United States. According to the confidential report, FETO has extended its influence in Albania’s civil society, media industry and even politics.
Turkish officials also plan to send a list of periodical payments that Gà¼len supporters have allegedly made to several beneficiaries in Tirana. These sources claim that a very important person in Albania who financially supports several websites in the country has been paying a lot of money for news reports criticizing Turkish President Recep Tayip ErdoÄŸan.
The list also includes possibly the initials of a government minister D.B who allegedly “was partner to Gulenist organizations before becoming a state official and received funds to hold think tanks and set up a negative public opinion against ErdoÄŸan.”
Gà¼len was formerly a close ally of ErdoÄŸan’s government, but they had a massive falling-out in late 2013. Since then, Gà¼len and his movement designated as a terrorist group in Turkey, have emerged as one of the government’s targets.
ErdoÄŸan believes that Gà¼len and his supporters have infiltrated Turkey‘s institutions and are running a “parallel state.” Ankara accused Gà¼len of orchestrating a failed military coup in which at least 232 people were killed. Authorities are also preparing a formal extradition request from United States.
