UPDATE - Turkish, US talks end at State Department

UPDATES WITH STATE DEPT. STATEMENT IN GRAF 5, 6

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - Talks to resolve issues between Ankara and Washington ended Tuesday at the State Department.

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal headed a nine-person delegation during the meeting with Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan which lasted 50 minutes.

The Turkish delegation is composed of representatives from Foreign, Justice and Finance ministries.

No official from the Turkish delegation made remarks following the meeting. According to a Treasury Department official, the delegation will hold talks with department officials.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert confirmed those talk were underway.

"We held additional talks with Turkish officials. The conversations continue," Nauert said.

The talks at the State Department were said to highlight American pastor Andrew Brunson, who is under house arrest in Turkey, and U.S. sanctions on Turkish ministers.

Turkey and the U.S. are currently experiencing rocky relations following the imposition of American sanctions on Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul for not releasing Brunson, who faces terrorism charges in Turkey.

The two NATO allies have been at odds since a defeated coup in Turkey in 2016 in which Ankara accused the U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen and his FETO organization of masterminding.

*Muhammed Bilal Kenasari contributed to the story