Turkish foreign undersecretary meets US counterpart

By Hakan Copur

WASHINGTON (AA) - Foreign Undersecretary Umit Yalcin held a meeting Friday with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan as part of a working visit to Washington.

The closed-door meeting addressed relations between the two NATO allies, along with international and regional matters, according to diplomatic sources who wished to remain anonymous due to media restrictions.

Ahead of the visit, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said results of working group meetings March 8-9 in Washington were also on the agenda.

Turkey and the U.S. have been trying to iron out a number of issues, principally concerning the terrorist YPG/PKK in Syria which the U.S. supports as a "reliable ally" in the fight against Daesh.

And both nations have established working groups to discuss a number of issues, including the stabilization of Manbij, Syria, and preventing direct clashes.

The removal of Rex Tillerson as U.S.’s top diplomat delayed a visit to Washington by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu that was previously set for March 19.

Yalcin’s visit may also address some of the issues that were to be tackled at that meeting.