(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) During talks on Saturday Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US Vice President Joe Biden ensured their nation's joint commitment to tackling Islamic State insurgents across the Turkish border in Syria and Iraq.
The two sides ensured the strong bond between them, and their continued close coordination on tackling ISIL, said Biden, who arrived on Friday, at a joint press conference following the meeting.
He praised Ankara for bearing a huge burden in hosting the continuing influx of refugees fleeing the violence in Syria. Washington's grant of USD 200 million aimed at aiding Turkey on the matter does not undermine the scale of the burden, and the US appreciates this, he said.
Discussions also focused on joint action aimed at putting a stop to the movement of foreign fighters from Turkey into conflict zones in Syria and suppressing the funding of extremist groups - the Islamic State (ISIL) in particular, he added.
Meanwhile, Erdogan mirrored these remarks, expressing Turkey's commitment to strengthening this cooperation aimed at protecting regional and international peace and security.
The meeting was "very important" on this aspect, he added, describing his nation's relationship with the US as built on respect, joint principles and mutual interests that develop according to the current strategic circumstances.
Earlier, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, after talks with Biden, had stated that his nation would continue to push for a buffer zone within Syria, along the borders they share, and for Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to step down.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.