Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Ankara, Turkey, February 16, 2018. (REUTERS Photo)
ANKARA, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Friday that Turkey and the U.S. agreed to normalize their ties, after weeks of rising tensions due to Turkey's military operation in Syria.
Speaking at a joint press conference with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Cavusoglu said the two sides will set up mechanisms to address the issues that have strained the bilateral relations.
The top Turkish diplomat added that the two sides will hold another meeting by mid-March as part of the mechanisms.
For his part, Tillerson said the U.S. and Turkey will work together in Syria, where Turkey is conducting a cross-border military operation to fight the Kurdish militia.
"We are not going to act alone any longer, not the U.S. doing one thing, Turkey doing another," Tillerson said, adding that the two NATO allies have "good mechanisms" to have cooperation.
While recognizing Turkey's right to secure its borders, Tillerson urged Ankara to show restraint in its military operation in Syria.
He was referring to the ongoing operation by Turkish military in Afrin, Syria in a bid to oust the Kurdish militia of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).
The YPG is regarded by Ankara as the Syrian affiliate of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has been fighting for autonomy in Turkey's southeast.
Turkey has vowed to expand its military operation to Manbij where U.S. troops are deployed with Kurdish forces to fight the terror group Islamic State (IS).
The U.S. had warned Turkey against such move which it said could lead to confrontation between Turkish and U.S. troops. Tillerson said a priority will be given to the issue of Manbij as the two sides work together.
