Pompeo Meets with Turkish FM in Bid to Reduce Bilateral Tensions

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu reaffirmed their commitment to addressing common concerns, including terrorism, Monday during talks aimed at resolving bilateral tensions between the NATO allies.

After concluding the discussions in Washington, a joint statement said the two officials “exchanged views on bilateral and regional issues” and “reaffirmed their joint resolve to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.”

High on the agenda was Washington’s support of the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia in the war against the Islamic State group. Ankara calls the YPG terrorists, accusing the militia of being linked to a Kurdish insurgency inside Turkey.

“[The United States] has preferred to collaborate with a terrorist organization in Syria. That was a grave mistake, and we are trying to change their position,” Cavusoglu said Saturday, ahead of his U.S. visit.

The Syrian town of Manbij — which was seized from Islamic State by mainly YPG forces — has become the epicenter of Turkish-U.S. tensions. Ankara claims Washington reneged on an agreement that the militia would withdraw after taking Manbij.

In their joint statement, Pompeo and Cavusoglu said they “considered the recommendations of the Turkey-U.S. Working Group on Syria pertaining to the future of our bilateral cooperation in Syria on issues of mutual interest, to include taking steps to ensure the security and stability in Manbij.

“They endorsed a Road Map to this end and underlined their mutual commitment to its implementation, reflecting agreement to closely follow developments on the ground,” the statement said, adding that the two sides agreed to hold further meetings to resolve outstanding issues.

Dorian Jones and Nike Ching contributed to this report.

 
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