Turkish defense chief meets US Syria envoy

ANKARA

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar received U.S. Special Envoy for Syria James Jeffrey, Turkey's Ministry of National Defense announced on Friday.

In a written statement, the ministry said Akar and Jeffrey discussed issues of regional security with a special focus on Syria.

Notably, U.S. Ambassador to Ankara David Satterfield and Turkey’s Deputy Defense Minister Yunus Emre Karaosmanoglu were present at the meeting.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.