"Productive and open concurrence for a mutually beneficial way Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson were in Ankara on Thursday, according to a State Department spokeswoman. Heather Nauert.
The meeting lasted three hours and 15 minutes, while Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoλουlu was also present, who also had the role of translator.
The Foreign Ministers of the two countries will meet again in the morning and will have a working breakfast to give a joint press conference later.
In the State Department, when asked to comment on an article by Turkish MP Aykan Erdemir in an American newspaper, calling for a tougher US stance on Ankara, even sanctions, Ms. Nauert said that there are definitely differences and as the Foreign Minister is in Ankara would not want to say anything.
"But sanctions are always on the table in relation to different nations and regions where we may have difficulties. But, as you know, we never talk about sanctions in advance. "
Erdogan accused the United States of "building an army of terrorism" on its borders and, in excellent language from a fellow NATO ally, threatening to "overthrow" US-backed forces in Syria.
The main topic of discussion at the State Department was the fact that an American translator was absent from the discussion and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoλουlu was performing translator duties for both.
"Mr. Tillerson has no problem with Mr. Tsavousoglu as a translator," said a State Department spokeswoman.
Asked to comment on statements made by Mr. Tsavousoglu, who said that US-Turkish relations are at a critical juncture, called for concrete steps to restore confidence, and noted Rex Tillerson's meetings, adding:
"We have a series of productive meetings taking place in Turkey. "We have others who are also involved."
Asked about the issue of Russian S-400 missiles that Turkey wants to procure, Ms. Nauert reiterated the statement of a State Department spokeswoman about their non-interoperability with NATO systems and the relevant agreements between its members. He said he did not know what stage the market was at at the moment.
Tillerson's visit to Ankara came shortly after Wednesday's meeting in Belgium between Defense Minister James Mattis and Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli at a meeting of NATO defense ministers. The two officials confirmed the long-standing defense relationship between the United States and Turkey.
Like other senior US officials, Matti acknowledged the threats to Turkey's national security posed by terrorist organizations and thanked the minister for Turkey's continued contribution to global security.
In addition to the possibility of a clash between Turkey and US-backed forces, if not US troops, US officials are concerned that Turkey's move to attack the Kurds in Afrin in northwestern Syria could potentially undermine the coalition's fight against Islam.
Relations between NATO allies have focused on a number of issues, most notably Washington's support for the Kurdish YPG militia, which Ankara calls terrorists.