Washington and Ankara have agreed to improve bilateral relations, which are at a "critical stage", Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoλουlu said after meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the United States and Turkey had agreed to set up mechanisms to resolve issues between the two countries and to meet by mid-March.
Tillerson stressed that both countries have common goals in Syria, where Turkey is currently conducting military operations against US-backed military militias. The foreign minister has vowed to cut arms supplies to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, whose backbone is made up of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which is outlawed in Turkey as a terrorist organization.
The United States has previously announced plans to build a 30.000-strong border security force in Syria, half of which will be recruited by the SDF. The decision angered Ankara, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledging to return the city to its "real owners".
Tillerson called on Turkey to show restraint in Operation Olive in Afrin and to avoid escalating tensions, stressing that the United States recognizes Turkey's legitimate right to secure its borders.
On Thursday, Tillerson also met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. At the meeting, which lasted more than three hours, Erdogan expressed "strong and clear" his concerns about the US government's support for YPG terrorists, as well as Turkey's priorities and expectations for Syria, the Iraq and regional developments, according to presidential sources.
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As the meeting progressed, dozens of protesters waved Turkish flags in protest against the United States.
A group of protesters from the left-wing neo-nationalist and anti-American Youth Union of Turkey (TGB) were dispersed by police, who used pepper spray after making repeated calls to stay away from the building. Two protesters were arrested.
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