Tense times in US-Turkey relations as officials huddle
ANKARA, Turkey — The spectre of a U.S.-Turkish clash in Syria loomed over Thursday’s meeting between the top American diplomat and Turkey’s leader as the two NATO allies scrambled to ease some of their worst tensions in years.
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is fuming over U.S. assistance to Kurdish fighters near his country’s border. The talks with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson were to focus on Washington’s plan to continue providing the Kurdish militants assistance and Turkey’s military operations in Kurdish areas of northern Syria.
The discussions were expected to cover several proposals for improving co-operation along the border area. It’s been a flashpoint over the years for Turkish-Kurdish tensions, al-Qaida and Islamic State fighters travelling back and forth, and incidents involving major powers including Russia.
Reflecting the sensitivity of the talks between Tillerson and Erdogan, only Turkish Foreign Minister Melvut Cavusoglu, serving as translator, also was included in the meeting, which lasted more than three hours.