Turkish Chief of Staff Hulusi Akar visits Jordan a day after FM Çavuşoğlu

AMMAN

Turkish Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar paid an official visit to the Jordanian capital Amman on Feb. 20, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

The visit comes after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also visited the country on Feb. 18 and 19 upon the invitation of his Jordanian counterpart Ayman al-Safadi.

A statement from Turkey’s Foreign Ministry released on Feb. 18 said Çavuşoğlu and Safadi met to discuss “all aspects of bilateral relations” and exchange views on regional developments, particularly Syria and Palestine.

During his visit, Çavuşoğlu was also expected to be received in the capital by Jordanian King Abdullah II, according to Anadolu Agency.

While in Amman, Çavuşoğlu commented on Turkey’s military offensive in the northern Syrian district of Afrin after reports saying the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Syrian regime forces had struck a strategic deal.

“There is no problem if Syrian forces enter Afrin to get rid of the YPG or the PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party]. But if they enter Afrin to protect the YPG then no one can stop Turkish forces,” Çavuşoğlu said at a joint press conference in Jordan on Feb. 19.