Turkish foreign undersecretary due in US on Friday

By Merve Aydogan

Turkey’s foreign undersecretary is set to pay a working visit to Washington this Friday, the Foreign Ministry announced Wednesday.

During his visit, Umit Yalcin is to meet with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan and discuss Turkey-U.S. relations along with international and regional matters, said a ministry statement.

The results of working group meetings held on March 8-9 in Washington will also be assessed during their meeting.

Turkey and the U.S. have been trying to iron out a number of issues, principally concerning the terrorist YPG/PKK in Syria, a group the U.S. has worked with, calling it a "reliable ally" in the fight against Daesh.

Towards that end, Turkey and the U.S. have established working groups to discuss a number of issues, including the stabilization of Manbij, Syria and preventing any undesirable clashes.

The exit of Rex Tillerson as U.S. secretary of state had delayed a visit to Washington by Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu previously set for March 19. Yalcin’s visit may be expected to address some of the issues that were to be tackled at that meeting.