Turkish President Holds Talks With US State Secretary In Ankara - Press Service

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks on Wednesday with US State Secretary Mike Pompeo in Ankara amid the controversy surrounding the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, the presidential press service told Sputnik.

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th October, 2018) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks on Wednesday with US State Secretary Mike Pompeo in Ankara amid the controversy surrounding the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, the presidential press service told Sputnik.

Eralier in the day, the Daily Sabah newspaper reported, citing Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, that the Khashoggi case, the Turkish fight against the Kurdish militants as well as the road map for Syria's Manbij were discussed during the Erdogan-Pompeo talks.

"US State Secretary Mike Pompeo during visit to Turkey has met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Esenboga Airport [in Ankara]. The talks lasted 40 minutes," the press service said.

The meeting took place at the airport because shortly afterward, Erdogan was due to leave for Moldova, according to the presidential press service.

Erdogan said on Friday that Ankara may launch a military operation in Manbij as the United States has failed to fulfill the promise on the Kurds' withdrawal.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, went missing on October 2. He was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul where he went to receive papers he needed to remarry.

Turkey has expressed concerns that Khashoggi could have been murdered inside the building, while the Saudi government has denied involvement in the case, claiming that the journalist disappeared after he left the consulate.