“The US is not touching Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) members in Syria as an excuse to continue working with the YPG/PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) terrorist groups”, he added.
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But with Turkish forces continuing to push into northern Syria to confront US-backed Kurdish militias, Damascus recently shooting down an Israeli warplane over Syrian territory, and Russian Federation and Iran heavily involved in the war, the wider region remains highly volatile. Ankara considers those fighters a terrorist group.
“I think in terms of this observation that the US has little leverage or role to play is simply false”, Tillerson said at a briefing Tuesday, according to Bloomberg.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdaf warned last week that an armed confrontation with the United States is not inconceivable as the Turks press deeper into Syrian territory in their effort to combat Syrian Kurdish fighters.
Turkey is wary of the presence of Kurdish militants close to its borders in Syria, and has been opposed to Washington’s efforts to train and arm them in the Arab country.
Khaled said she saw in Turkey “the same picture we see in Palestine”, as she saw the Congress surrounded by policemen.
Mattis characterized the overall conversations as “absolutely open and honest dialogue”.
“We are working together to ensure that none of the fighters can get out and threaten their communities and that justice is done in a way that [is consistent] with global law”.
Erdogan, however, said that the U.S. could no longer use fighting ISIL as an excuse, as the group – according to the president – has been largely defeated in Syria.
“The operations aim to put pressure on both the Syrian and Iraqi sides of the border, that particular fight is not over yet”, Mr McGurk said.
Cavusoglu said the two would discuss rebuilding the “broken trust”. The U.S., Israel and Turkey all have deepened their involvement, seeking to protect their interests in the new Syria order.
President Tayyip Erdogan’s address to the Turkish parliament on Tuesday comes just days before Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is set to meet with leaders.
The United States has urged allies to remain focused on their fight against the Islamic State group, highlighting that Turkey’s military offensive, operation Olive Branch in the northern Syrian city of Afrin, had “detracted” from the anti-IS fight.
The renaming of the street in the centre of Ankara as “Olive Branch Avenue” is the latest example of the testy relations between the two North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies who have bickered fiercely during the last months over a string of issues, including Syria.
Ankara, however, believes the Syrian forces are linked to an extremist group that operates within Turkey, known as the PKK.
PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by both, the U.S. and Turkey, but the United States distinguishes between the PKK group and Syrian Kurds at large.
Mattis, meanwhile, also used the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation meeting to press allies to increase their support for North Atlantic Treaty Organisation military operations, including more funding and equipment.
Critics say the moves are emblematic of a wider crackdown launched after a 2016 failed putsch against Erdogan’s government.
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Turkey’s officials, however, do not seem to be satisfied with the ambiguous statements from their North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies anymore. The official briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity because he is not permitted to speak publicly about the closed-door deliberations. “What kind of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation membership is this?”
