Biden meets with Erdogan on sidelines of G20
US President Joe Biden had a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali on Tuesday, a day after a tense exchange between Ankara and Washington over the weekend’s deadly bomb attack in Istanbul.
On Monday, the US State Department had issued a statement expressing “deep disappointment” at Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu’s rejection of US condolences for the attack, which left six dead and more than 80 people wounded.
Soylu had also suggested that Washington was somehow responsible, by having worked in its fight against ISIS with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which Ankara says is a terrorist group with ties to the Kurdistan People’s Party (PKK), which it blames for the bombing
“We reject and are deeply disappointed by any irresponsible comments to suggest that US had any role or responsibility in this despicable attack. We stand ready to assist authorities. We unequivocally condemn terrorism in all forms and stand in solidarity with Turkey,” the State Department said in response.
Details of the meeting were not immediately made public.
