[AP]
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio told his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan Tuesday that the US “appreciated” Turkey’s leadership contribution to defeating the Islamic State and requested his support for peace in Ukraine.
He also criticized Turkey’s arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and its handling of the protests that followed the arrest.
The two met in Washington DC “to discuss cooperation on key issues in security and trade,” according to a statement released by the Department of State after the meeting.
The statement makes no mention of any discussion on sanctions against Turkey imposed through the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) and Turkey’s wish to end the sanctions. Rubio, as a Senator, was a prme mover in imposing the CAATSA sanctions but it is not clear whether he will insist on maintaining them as a member of the Trump Afministration.
State Department’s readout of the meeting follows:
The below is attributable to Spokesperson Tammy Bruce:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan today to discuss cooperation on key issues in security and trade. The Secretary requested (Turkey’s) support for peace in Ukraine and the South Caucasus. He appreciated (Turkey’s) leadership in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and reiterated the need for close cooperation to support a stable, unified, peaceful Syria that is neither a base for international terrorism nor a pathway for destabilizing Iranian activities. The Secretary also noted recent advancements in bilateral trade and encouraged even greater economic partnership moving forward. Finally, the Secretary expressed concerns regarding recent arrests and protests in (Turkey).