MESOP NEWS TOP OF THE AGENDA : TILLERSON IN TURKEY – ANALYSTS !
Turkey, U.S. Discuss Regional SecurityU.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other high-ranking officials while on a trip in the capital of Ankara. Tillerson and Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim discussed the fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State and Turkey’s demand that the United States extradite a Pennsylvania-based cleric (Hurriyet) it blames for an attempted coup. The State Department said that Tillerson emphasized the importance of Turkey as a NATO ally (RFE/RL) in enhancing “critical security” in the region. The visit comes as Turkey’s relations with Europe have strained ahead of a contentious April 16 referendum (NYT) to boost the powers of Erdogan’s office. Prior to Tillerson’s visit, Turkey announced an official end to its seven-month Operation Euphrates Shield (BBC) in northern Syria, where the United States and Turkey have been at odds over U.S. support for Kurdish forces (FT). |
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