Pompeo says he had 'productive' talk with Çavuşoğlu

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U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo said on Nov. 20 he had a "productive" talk with his Turkish counterpart on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Brussels.

"Productive conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu today in Brussels. We’re committed to overcoming challenges and strengthening our bilateral relations," Pompeo said on Twitter.

Shortly before the top diplomat's tweet, State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said the two men "discussed U.S.-Turkish bilateral relations, with a focus on bilateral and multilateral security and defense issues."

Ortagus added that the two officials "built on conversations" between U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during their Nov. 13 meeting at the White House, when both leaders discussed Syria, Turkey's acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense system as well as improving trade relations.

Shortly after their meeting, Çavuşoğlu posted a photo him shaking hands with Pompeo and wrote on Twitter: “Met w/my counterpart @SecPompeo of the #US in Brussels. Followed up issues on our agenda after President @RTErdogan's visit to Washington.”

Erdoğan visited the White House on Nov. 13 , where he and Trump exchanged compliments and resolved to work out multiple policy disputes between Washington and Ankara.

“We’ve asked our secretary of state and minister of foreign affairs and our respective national security advisers to immediately work on resolving the S-400 issue,” Trump said following their meeting.

Minutes after their news conference, the White House released a statement using firmer language than the two leaders.

“In order to achieve progress on other fronts, it is vital that we resolve the issues involving Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system, strengthening our defense partnership,” it said.

Washington says Ankara’s purchase of the Russian system is not compatible with NATO defenses and also poses a threat to the F-35 ‘stealth’ fighter jet Lockheed Martin is developing. It is concerned that Turkey is deepening ties with Moscow at the expense of its partnership with the United States.