Turkey- Obama Erdoan talk upgrading ISIL fight
(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) >During the much anticipated meeting between Turkish PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoanand his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama the leaders’ main focus was on upgrading the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the aftermath of deadly attacks in Turkey and Belgium. “The leaders also discussed how to advance our shared effort to degrade and destroy ISIL” the White House said in a statement on March 31. Obama and Erdoan met at the White House on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in the U.S. capital. In a statement on April 1 Turkey’s presidential office said the twoNATOleaders discussed cooperation on resolving the refugee crisis and how partners in the fight against ISIL can ramp up their efforts. Obama reaffirmed U.S. commitment to Turkey’s security during the meeting. “The president extended condolences to President Erdoan on behalf of theAmericanpeople for those killed and injured in today’s terrorist attack in Diyarbakr and reaffirmed the support of the United States for Turkey’s security and our mutual struggle against terrorism” the White House said. On March 31 seven police officers were killed and 27 people injured including 13 police officers in a car bomb attack targeting a police shuttle in the Balar district of Turkey’s southeastern province of Diyarbakr. Hours before the meeting with Obama Erdoan met with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. Speaking after the meeting Turkish presidential spokesperson brahim Kaln said that the U.S. had pledged to increase cooperation with Turkey in Ankara’s efforts to fight the outlawedKurdistan Workers’ Party(PKK). Erdoan and Biden explored opportunities for greater intelligence sharing regarding thePKKand ways to prevent funding to the group Kaln was quoted as saying by state-run Anadolu Agency. Biden who expressedAmericansupport for Turkey’s effort in fighting the terrorist group also said the U.S. would work to develop a plan that would focus on U.S. and Turkish goals and Ankara’s “sensitive” approach to the region - specifically operations conducted around the Manbij pocket in Syria Kaln said. The Manbij pocket is a “red line” of demarcation for Turkey that has pledged to prevent a breach of the western front by the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its military wing the People’s Protection Unit (YPG). Turkey considers both of the groups as terrorist organizations as it regards them as the offshoots of the PKK. But the U.S. only designates thePKKas a terrorist group and marks the PYD and YPG as reliable partners in the fight against ISIL.
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