US envoy for Syria holds talks in Turkey

ANKARA

Turkey's Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioğlu. AA Photo

U.S. special envoy for Syria Michael Ratney held talks with Turkish Foreign Ministry officials on Sept. 14 in Ankara on issues about the war-torn Syria, according to diplomatic sources.

Ratney was appointed to his position in July and had previously worked for the State Department in the Middle East.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Turkish counterpart, Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioğlu, recently discussed bilateral and regional affairs over a telephone conversation.

The conversation took place upon Kerry’s request, the state-run Anadolu agency reported on Sept. 12, citing diplomatic sources. The two discussed bilateral relations, the fight against terrorism and regional developments, with the Syrian conflict being first, the same sources said, without elaborating.

Kerry, meanwhile, congratulated Sinirlioğlu over his new post. Sinirlioğlu was appointed foreign minister in late August as part of the interim government led by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, which will take the country to early elections scheduled for Nov. 1. Sinirlioğlu had been serving as the undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry since 2009 before the appointment.