Turkey, US foreign ministers discuss Syria's Idlib and Manbij

Ersin Çelik
16:494/09/2018, Salı
U: 4/09/2018, Salı
REUTERS
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Mike Pompeo
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Mike Pompeo

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and his U.S. counterpart Michael Pompeo held a phone call on Wednesday, a source in the Turkish foreign ministry said, as the ministers attended an ASEAN meeting in Singapore.

The call was requested by Pompeo, the source said.

Çavuşoğlu and Pompeo discussed developments in Syria's Idlib and Manbij, along with bilateral issues in their phone call.

The call comes as violence in Idlib, the last major opposition-held enclave in Syria, escalated with Russia resuming air strikes in the region.

Turkey and the U.S. are currently experiencing rocky relations following Washington’s imposition of sanctions over the detention of U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson, who is under house arrest in Turkey over terrorism charges.

Brunson's charges include spying for the PKK -- listed as a terrorist group by both the U.S. and Turkey -- and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), the group behind the defeated coup attempt in Turkey of July 2016.

Political tensions between the two countries had sparked worries in markets this month, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to use economic pressure against Turkey over the American pastor.

#Turkey
#US
#Çavuşoğlu
#Pompeo