'We are determined to defeat terrorist groups'

By Esra Kaymak Avci

WASHINGTON

Turkey is determined to defeat terrorist groups in the region and the world, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday.

At a joint press conference before a bilateral meeting with the Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington D.C., Cavusoglu thanked the U.S. for showing solidarity with Turkey after recent deadly attacks in Ankara and Istanbul.

“It is true that terrorists have been hitting many cities not only in our region, not only in Turkey and Brussels, but also in Africa in Pakistan and in other parts of the world,” he said.

“We have the full determination to defeat the terrorist groups in our neighborhood and all over the world.”

Cavusoglu said he and his American counterpart would discuss ways to increase efforts against Daesh, al Nusra and the PKK.

“We need to defeat those terrorist organizations which have been posing threat not only to Turkey or Europe but to the whole world,” he stressed.

Cavusoglu also stated that both would discuss the situation in Iraq as well, as Daesh was still occupying almost 30 percent of the territory, which is close to the Turkish border.

“The country also need our support,” he said.

Saying that he hoped to achieve an agreement on Turkey’s Cyprus issue in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Cavusoglu noted that the Turkish Cypriot side was “ready” for peace talks after elections in the Greek Cypriot side.

Cavusoglu also thanked Kerry for “his tireless efforts” to reach a political understanding regarding a nuclear deal with Iran signed last year to curb Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange of economic relief. “We fully support this process,” he said.

Regarding the Geneva peace talks in Syria, he praised the U.S., saying as the co-chair of the International Syria Support Group it enhanced the cessation of hostilities in Syria and made humanitarian aid access possible.

He also added that the U.S. helped talks to resume in Geneva.

“Hopefully, the next talks will be focusing on the political transformation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kerry offered condolences “for the extraordinary losses that Turkey has suffered over the months by a number of different attacks” in the Turkish capital, Ankara, and Istanbul.

Saying that children were killed right after the Brussels bombing in Iraqi capital Baghdad, Kerry noted that the attacks underscored to everybody “the price that’s being paid in the hands of terrorists” and how the world was “all in this” together.

“We all have an entrance in taking out Daesh, al-Nusra terrorist organizations as fast as possible and restore a stability to the region and to individual countries,” he said.

“Turkey is an important partner with the U.S. in this effort.”

Adding that Turkey was a NATO ally, Kerry said the country had joined with Europe and NATO now to solve the refugee problem by signing a deal to stop the migrants’ flow to Greece through the Aegean Sea.

“Turkey is a member of the International Syria Support Group and is working with us to try to seek a political solution to the problem to Syria,” he added.

Cavusoglu is in Washington as part of the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit this week.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to arrive Tuesday.