Turkish foreign minister, US top diplomat discuss ties

By Sibel Ugurlu

ANKARA (AA) - Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed bilateral ties and cooperation on counter-terrorism with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson over the phone on Friday.

“We discussed FETO [Fetullah Terrorist Organization] head Fetullah Gulen’s presence in the U.S. and the weapons that [were provided by the U.S.] to the YPG terrorist organization,” Cavusoglu told a local channel Dim TV in Alanya district of southern Antalya province.

Turkish government considers the PYD/YPG to be the Syrian offshoot of the PKK, a designated terrorist organization by Turkey and the U.S.

However, the U.S. does not view the PYD/YPG as a terrorist group, instead it relies on the group extensively in the battle against Daesh in northern Syria. The PYD/YPG-backed SDF group have been Washington's principal partner in the anti-Daesh fight.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.