John Bass, the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, said on Monday that the process regarding Fethullah Gülen’s extradition will continue with transparency.

Speaking at a press meeting, the U.S. ambassador said that the U.S. government cannot comment on the extradition process, but noted that the procedures will be conducted under a legal framework in a transparent manner.

Bass stated that the U.S. is closely following the reconciliation process and that they support the Turkish people in this regard. “We support everyone who wants a free, fair and competitive elections process” Bass said and underlined that there is already too much conflict in the Middle East.

With regards to the presidential system, Bass stated that only the Turkish people would determine the democratic administration system of the country. “We respect the Turkish people’s decision” he said, and added “It is not about having a parliamentarian or a presidential system, what really matters is to protect the checks and balances.”