Suprise meeting

The U.S. Ambassador in Ankara Francis J. Ricciardone requested an appointment from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday. Erdogan invited Ricciardone to the Heliport in Yenimahalle district of Ankara prior to his departure for Yozgat province. Erdogan and Ricciardone discussed the issue of Syria and counter-terrorism in a meeting that lasted around 50 minutes.Erdogan told Ambassador Ricciardone that no one should hurry up in the case of Syria and that there should be a smooth transition in Syria. Ambassador Ricciardone conveyed a message of U.S. President Barack Obama to Erdogan. “Turkey’s, and in particular the prime minister’s, initiatives in the region are always very important for us. That’s why we are following them very closely. That’s why I came here [to meet],” Ricciardone told reporters after his meeting with Erdoğan. “Terrorism is a problem of the region [the Middle East]. We have talked in this frame,” Ricciardone said, adding that Turkey and the United States are allies and are frequently holding similar talks to exchange views.