Turkey rips ‘baseless’ report of Erdogan criticism of US

WASHINGTON

The office of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday vehemently denied a media report that in a closed-door meeting he "blasted" the U.S. administration.

“The president has shared his views on the ongoing war in Syria and Turkey's position on PKK's Syria branch PYD and YPG in the same way that he has stated before,” Erdogan’s office said in a statement.

The report claimed that the Turkish leader blasted the Obama administration for its support of the PYD and the YPG and, that during a dinner with representatives of American think tanks in Washington on Tuesday, Erdogan criticized U.S. media for biased coverage of Turkish government policies.

The president’s office described the report as “provocative”, while emphasizing the strategic partnership between Turkey and the U.S., as well as close bilateral relations between the two allies with respect to various regional and global issues.

“President Erdogan's visit to the U.S. to attend the Nuclear Security Summit at the invitation of President Obama is a reflection of this fact,” according to the statement. “Turkey and the United States will continue to work together for global peace and security,” it added.