US delegation arrives in Ankara amid strained ties over Afrin operation
Turkish ground and air offensive in Afrin, code named Operation Olive Branch, enters fourth day, raising tensions between NATO allies Turkey and US.
The US committee, led by Jonathan Cohen, deputy assistant secretary for European and Eurasian affairs at the US Department of State, arrives at Turkey's Foreign Ministry building in Ankara to discuss the Syria operation and judicial co-operation. January 23, 2018.
A high-level US delegation arrived in Ankara on Monday as Turkey's Operation Olive Branch continues in Syria's Afrin. Tuesday's meetings include discussions on regional co-operation and the military operation, according to diplomatic sources.
Diplomatic conversations are being held between Washington and Ankara regarding Turkey’s ongoing operation against terror groups in Afrin, the Pentagon told Anadolu Agency on Monday.
“I can tell you that we are presently in conversations with our Turkish allies to resolve the situation right now,” said spokesman Adrian Rankine-Galloway.
The American delegation will also have a meeting at the Turkish General Staff.
The Turkish group will be led by Deputy Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ahmet Muhtar Gun at the meeting on Tuesday, and the US delegation will be headed by Deputy Assistant Secretary Jonathan Cohen, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
TRT World's Ediz Tiyansan breaks down the talks.
Establishing security and stability
Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch on Saturday, with the stated aim of removing YPG/PKK and Daesh from Afrin.
In the war against Daesh in Syria, the US armed and supported the YPG which is considered by Ankara to be the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terror organisation that has waged a decades-long war against the Turkish state.
American support for the group has long vexed Ankara as Washington views the YPG/PKK-led umbrella group Syrian Democratic Forces as a "reliable partner" in its fight against Daesh in the face of strong objections by Turkey.
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