Top diplomats of US and Turkey discuss Syrian refugee crisis

WASHINGTON - Anadolu Agency

US Secretary of State John Kerry walks to the back of the plane using crutches while taking to reporters before leaving for Vienna, Austria, at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on June 26, 2015. AFP PHOTO/CARLOS BARRIA/POOL

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on June 26 to discuss the refugee influx into Turkey resulting from fighting in Syria.

"The Secretary commended Turkey's generosity in supporting the needs of nearly 2 million refugees who have fled the violence in Syria and Iraq," State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement, who added that the two diplomats agreed to keep in close contact on developments in Syria.

After a recent offensive Kurdish rebels launched against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in northern Syria in cooperation with a U.S.-led coalition, more than 70,000 refugees took shelter in Turkey, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

U.S. humanitarian assistance to Turkey for the Syrian crisis recently reached $291 million since 2012, according to Kirby.

By comparison, Turkey has spent nearly $6 billion on the crisis.