FM: Turkey, US relations reach critical point

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu yesterday said relations between his country and the United States have reached a “very critical point”.

“Our relations are at a very critical point. Either we will fix the relationship or this relationship will be totally destroyed. There’s no other option,” the minister said at a conference in Istanbul.

Asked about US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s planned visit to Turkey on Thursday, the minister said: “What we are expecting from Washington is clear and frank, and we have told them several times, we do not want promises, we want concrete steps.”

He pointed to the importance of Tillerson’s visit, especially as it comes after US National Security Adviser Herbert McMaster’s trip to Ankara.

“We need to re-establish lost trust with the United States so that we can talk about certain issues,” he said.

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