SL envoy meets Turkish Defence Minister over FETO links with Easter Sunday carnage

Following a revelation by the the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) which probed the Easter Sunday attacks that extremist Turkish terror organization FETO (Fetullah Terrorist Organization aka the Gulen movement) provided funds to some of those involved in the Easter carnage, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Turkey M. Rizvi Hassen, called on the Minister of National Defence of Turkey Hulusi Akar on April 14, 2021 in Ankara.

A Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry communique said: “The meeting was constructive and focused on further enhancing defence cooperation between Sri Lanka and Turkey. During the meeting, the Minister expressed Turkey’s willingness to strengthen cooperation in the defence sector with Sri Lanka and shared with the Ambassador the developments of the Turkish defence manufacturing industry and Turkey’s success in counter terrorism operations against listed terror outfits.

 Recently SLPP Chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris said that as part of the overall investigations, law enforcement authorities had been instructed to probe the alleged FETO links to the Easter Sunday carnage. Prof. Peiris explained that the proscribed Turkish organisation had provided funding to some persons named in the report and a thorough inquiry was called into foreign involvement in the attacks.

The PCoI revealed that the previous government had turned a blind eye to information provided by Turkey regarding FETO activities in Sri Lanka. FETO leader Gulen has secured US protection (SF)