President Erdoğan to meet US vice president and secretary of state

 

President Erdoğan made a statement to reporters following his address to parliament in the capital Ankara.

President said on Wednesday that he would meet with U.S. vice president and secretary of state, according to a Tweet by communications director.

"Earlier today, the President told @SkyNews that he won’t receive a U.S. delegation that is visiting Ankara today," Fahrettin Altun said on Twitter, sharing a video of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks.

"It is out of question that I meet with others [in the U.S. delegation] except [Mike] Pence and [Mike] Pompeo," Erdoğan told reporters.

Pence will be in Turkey to hold talks with top officials regarding Ankara’s ongoing Operation Peace Spring in northeastern Syria, President Donald Trump said at the White House on Tuesday. 

Trump added that Pence will be accompanied by Pompeo.

A U.S. delegation will leave on Tuesday ahead of the departure of the senior officials, according to the president. 

The vice president’s office released a statement saying that Pence will be further accompanied by National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien, and Trump’s special envoy for the anti-Daesh coalition James Jeffrey.