Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) shakes hands with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Istanbul, Turkey, July 9, 2017. Mevlut Cavusoglu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had separate meetings on Sunday in Istanbul with Rex Tillerson, as the two NATO allies are sharply divided over Syria. (Xinhua/Zeynep Cermen)
ISTANBUL, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had separate meetings on Sunday in Istanbul with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, as the two NATO allies are sharply divided over Syria.
The top Turkish and U.S. officials did not make any statement to the press prior to their meeting, but the state-run Anadolu Agency said the latest developments in Syria, counter-terrorism efforts and the Qatar row dominated their discussions.
Turkey, annoyed at U.S. continued arming of the Syrian Kurdish militia and involving them in the battle for Raqqa, the stronghold of the Islamic State group in Syria, has been reportedly making preparations for a military offensive against Afrin, a Kurdish-held canton in northwestern Syria.
Erdogan had a closed-door meeting with Tillerson in the evening, Turkish media said.
