Turkey-US working group meets in Washington

By Hakan Copur

WASHINGTON (AA) - The Turkey-U.S. Joint Working Group held its final meeting in Washington, D.C. Tuesday, chaired by Turkey's Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale.

A diplomatic source who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed the meeting was held at the State Department. It reportedly tackled many issues related to bilateral relations between Ankara and Washington.

The meeting was originally planned for Jan. 8 but was postponed due to a visit by National Security Advisor John Bolton to Ankara.

Following a visit by former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Ankara in February 2018, Turkey and the U.S. established a mechanism to address separate issues in working groups, including stabilization of the northern Syrian city of Manbij and to prevent clashes between Turkish and U.S. troops.

The first working group was held on March 8, 2018, in which the main principles of potential cooperation between Turkey and the U.S. were termed "constructive".

The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt in Turkey, visa issues and the fight against the PKK terror organization were also discussed in working groups.