By Handan Kazanci
ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkiye's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed a range of issues over the phone on Tuesday, including the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine row.
Cavusoglu also told his counterpart about Turkiye's attempts to reduce the tension between Russia and Ukraine through dialogue, said a statement by Turkiye's Foreign Ministry.
On developments in northern Syria, along Turkiye’s southern border, Cavusoglu also pointed to the separatist activities of the terrorist YPG/PKK and its attacks on local civilian. He said Turkiye's fight against this terrorist group will continue with determination.
US support for the terrorist YPG/PKK, said to be for the purpose of fighting Daesh/ISIS terrorists, has long been a bone of contention between Washington and Ankara. Turkiye argues that using one terror group to fight another makes no sense.
In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the group’s Syrian branch.
The two diplomats also discussed the latest developments in the Caucasus and the ongoing rapprochement process between Turkiye and Armenia.
Cavusoglu also invited Blinken to the Antalya Diplomacy Forum set to be held in southern Turkiye on March 11-13.
Blinken also sent get-well wishes to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and First Lady Emine Erdogan, who recently tested positive for COVID-19.
- Tension between Ukraine and Russia
Moscow and Kyiv have been locked in conflict since hostilities in the eastern Donbas region broke out in 2014 after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula.
Russia has amassed thousands of troops near Ukraine's borders, prompting fears it could be planning another military offensive against the former Soviet republic.
The US and its allies have warned of an imminent attack, and threatened Russia with “severe consequences.”
Moscow, however, has denied it is preparing to invade Ukraine and said its troops are there for exercises.
World leaders, including Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, are working to resolve the row peacefully. Towards that end, Turkiye has offered to host a peace summit between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine.