Turkish minister, US envoy talk on border security, terrorism fight

ANKARA

Credit: The US Embassy in Turkey's Twitter account

Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala met with John Bass, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, on Jan. 7 to discuss recent matters on border security and the fight against terrorism, the embassy said on its Twitter account. 

“Ambassador Bass met with Interior Minister Efkan Ala today to discuss counterterrorism cooperation, including against the [outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party] PKK, and efforts to further enhance Turkey’s border security,” the posting said. 

The meeting came one day after U.S. Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held talks with Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. 

The Turkish army expressed concerns to the U.S.’ top military figure over Syrian Kurdish groups’ attempts to create a “Kurdish corridor” in northern Syria and change the demographic structure of the region to the advantage of Kurds. 

The military-to-military talks focused on the joint fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and on developments in Syria and Iraq, as well as other regional issues, daily Hürriyet learned.