U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told visiting Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım that the United States remains deeply concerned over the arrests of American citizens in Turkey, the White House said in a readout of a meeting between the two officials in Washington, DC on Thursday.
"The Vice President expressed deep concern over the arrests of American citizens, Mission Turkey local staff, journalists, and members of civil society under the state of emergency and urged transparency and due process in the resolution of their cases," the readout said.
Turkish authorities last month arrested Metin Topuz, an employee at the U.S. Consulate General in İstanbul, over his alleged links to the network of Islamist cleric Fethullah Gülen. Both leaders underlined the need for constructive dialogue and expressed hope that their meeting would help open a new chapter in US-Turkish relations, the White House said.
Pence reaffirmed the "enduring strategic partnership" between the two countries and stressed the U.S. commitment to stand with Turkey against the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) "and other terrorist threats."
