Biden visits Turkey to improve ties with NATO ally

Vice President Biden arrived in Ankara on Wednesday for talks with Turkish leaders. He is the highest-ranking U.S. official to do so since the July coup attempt that has driven a wedge in U.S. relations with a key NATO ally.

Biden is likely to repeat U.S. concerns about Turkey's crackdown on free speech and political opponents, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is sure to repeat demands that the United States extradite a Muslim cleric living in Pennsylvania who Erdogan claims masterminded the failed military coup. Fethullah Gulen, 75, has denied any involvement with the July 15 coup attempt.

Trump shouldn't be taken seriously, Biden tells NATO allies

State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner announced Tuesday that Turkey formally submitted an extradition request for the cleric. Toner said the request doesn’t relate to the recent coup attempt, but he declined to provide further details.

“We are considering the merits of the request,” Toner said.

Feds don't see extradition for Turkish cleric

Biden, while in Ankara, will emphasize Washington's "ongoing strong support" of Turkey, the White House said this week. He also will meet with Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

In a sign of strains between the two countries, Turkish news media reported that Erdogan plans to visit Iran on Wednesday, possibly to forge new ties. The trip follows Erdogan's visit to Moscow this month to improve relations.

“Clearly President Erdogan is sending a message by getting closer to Russia and Iran that he’s unhappy with the attitude of the West,” Bulent Aliriza, a Turkey analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Associated Press. “Turkey’s still going to remain a NATO member and aspire for EU membership, but the atmosphere is worse" than before the coup.

After the failed coup, the Turkish government fired or imprisoned tens of thousands of people in the military, academia, judiciary and media.

President Obama has condemned the coup attempt but has urged Erdogan to protect individual rights amid efforts to uncover those responsible.

Turkey has played a key role in the U.S.-led coalition's efforts to defeat the Islamic State. But the country's fragile security was shown Saturday when a suicide bomber killed at least 54 people at a wedding celebration near the Syrian border.

It was the deadliest in a string of attacks this year in Turkey committed by the Islamic State or Kurdish separatists. Turkey blames the Islamic State for the latest attack, although no one had claimed responsibility.

Contributing: Oren Dorell