Senator Bob Corker traveled to Ankara, Turkey on Thursday to discuss the long-standing partnership between the United States and Turkey. His meetings included President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ahmet Berat Conkar.
“I appreciate President Erdogan's commitment to the strategic partnership between our two countries and his willingness to improve cooperation on key issues,” said Senator Corker. “I was also encouraged by pledges of increased Turkish participation in the coalition to defeat Daesh (ISIS) from a range of Turkish government officials.”
Officials said, "Senator Corker appreciated gaining the Turkish perspective on effective strategies for ISIS and looks forward to using that insight for the debate in the United States Congress over an authorization for the use of military force against ISIS that was requested by President Barack Obama."
Senator Corker also visited Kuwait and Iraq this week to express U.S. support and to get a firsthand look at coalition efforts to combat ISIS. He met with top officials from both governments and had the opportunity to thank members of the U.S. military for their sacrifice and hard work to train Iraqi and Peshmerga fighters in the battle against ISIS.