Turkey, US to discuss Syria, anti-ISIL fight

ANKARA

REUTERS photo

Turkish and American diplomats are set to come together around the table in Ankara to discuss recent developments in Syria and the ongoing fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Turkish Foreign Ministry has said in a statement. 

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken will pay a working visit to Turkey on March 22-23, the Foreign Ministry said in a written statement on March 22. Blinken will meet with Feridun Sinirlioğlu, the undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry, to hold consultations regarding bilateral and regional issues. The deputy secretary is also expected to be received by Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, read the statement. 

The two diplomats are expected to review the ongoing fight against ISIL and recent developments in Turkey’s southern neighbor, Syria. Blinken’s visit comes as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is readying to join a nuclear security summit to be held in Washington in late March.