TIRANA, May 16 – Turkish Ambassador Hydayet Bayraktar has requested from Albanian authorities to shut down 12 schools that Turkey believes are controlled by a network headed by U.S.-based cleric Fetullah Gulen.
In an interview for local media, Ambassador Bayraktar said that Albania tops the list of Balkan countries where the network, known in Turkey as FETO, and its leader Gulen are most organized.
He announced plans that Turkey aims to open “real Turkish schools” that “provide quality education” in the country.
Turkey has collaborated with Albania to remove the Turkish flag and symbols from the 12 schools that according to him belong to the organization which Turkey considers a terrorist group and accuses of organizing a coup in Istanbul and Ankara.
“This terrorist organization continues to use the symbols and the flag of our country, which it has betrayed and tried to eliminate. We put a stop to this when the Ministry of Education of Albania prohibited the use of our flag and symbols,” Ambassador Bayraktar said.
He expressed concern over the expansion of the organization in Albania which aims to misinform Albanians on Turkey and its leaders. Ankara has repeatedly requested from Albanian government to take measures against FETO, an organization which according to Ambassador Bayraktar is an open threat to Albania.
Bayractar reassured that if a terrorist organization threatening Albania would be present in Turkey, then Ankara would do everything to eliminate it. “If our country had a terrorist structure which posed a threat to Albania, we would not hesitate at all in front of it” .
A large number of Turkish colleges, kindergartens and elementary schools opened in Albania since 1992. Through the years, they expanded by becoming high schools and universities which led to the birth of a new class in the society able to afford this service. Turkey believes that FETO’s leader for Balkans and his Fetullah Gulen’s nephew control 12 schools: two universities and ten elementary and high schools, and that the children of many politicians, state officials and influential people were enrolled in these schools.
Ambassador Bayraktar says that FETO has expanded its activity in Albania. “The organization has two publishing houses which translate into Albanian the books of the leader of the organization. It has chambers of commerce, commercial structures, internet pages, social media accounts that uphold the traitor leader and they also have civil society organizations and religious institutions,” the Turkish ambassador said.
“We will chase them until we remove the last remaining member of FETO from Albania. We will continue to demand the removal of these elements from the Albanian territories, because they are a threat to our country and we believe that they are a threat to Albania and Albanian families too,” he concluded.
In an op-ed published by U.S. media this week, Gulen denies any ties to the coup in Turkey. The United States has so far not approved a Turkish request to extradite the cleric back to his native country.
