U.S. Defense Secretary to visit Turkey over Kurdish issues

Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-17 22:34:56|Editor: yan

ANKARA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis will visit Turkey in the coming days over the current dilemma on Kurdish issues, Turkish Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin said on Thursday.

Ties between the two NATO allies have been strained amid Washington's support for Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), armed wing of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD).

Turkey claimed the YPG group is an offshoot of PKK military group, which has been waging an insurgency in southeast Turkey for more than 30 years.

Apart from Mattis' visit, Russian Chief of Armed Forces Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov will also visit Turkey to discuss the situation in Syria's Idlib, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-08/17/c_136534248.htm