FETO schools do not meet legal standards: Albanian premier

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Friday said schools in the country affiliated to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) were closed because they do not meet legal standards.

Rama said in a tweet that fake news misled the public about the closure of a FETO-affiliated college.

"It is a violation to carry out activities elsewhere without meeting the legally required standards, without obtaining permission according to the law, and the law provides for obtaining the license," Rama said.

He added that a building licensed for educational activities cannot be sold and relocated.

The Albanian Council of Ministers on Thursday decided to close Mehmet Akif Ersoy College, affiliated with the Gulistan Foundation, which is known for its closeness to FETO.

The Albanian authorities also stopped the work of the Zübeyde Hanim private kindergarten in Tirana, which is affiliated with the FETO-affiliated company Turgut Ozal Education on the same day.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 wounded.

Ankara accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.