Readout of Secretary Mattis' Bilateral Meeting With Turkish Minister of Defense Fikri Işık

Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana W. White provided the following readout:

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis met with Turkish Minister of Defense Fikri Işık today at the White House. 

The leaders firmly agreed on concerns regarding the PKK, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization that has orchestrated the killing of innocent Turkish civilians and Turkish soldiers. The secretary reaffirmed support for Turkey in its fight against the PKK and plan to increase cooperation on Turkey's counter-PKK efforts. 

The secretary and minister also discussed the crisis in Syria and agreed to continue cooperate to end the scourge of violence and alleviate human suffering.

The secretary recognized the generosity of the Turkish government and people in managing the refugee and humanitarian challenges stemming from Syria. Both leaders affirmed their support for peace and stability in both Iraq and Syria and look forward to continuing to work together on the U.S.-Turkey security alliance.