Obama reaffirms commitment to Turkey's security as Erdogan visits

Reuters
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives for a working dinner with heads of delegations for the Nuclear Security Summit at the White House in Washington March 31, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

WASHINGTON/ANKARA(Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to Turkey's security during a meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, while also discussing both countries' efforts to fight Islamic State, the White House said. "The president extended condolences to President Erdogan on behalf of the American people for those killed and injured in today’s terrorist attack in Diyarbakir, and reaffirmed the support of the United States for Turkey’s security and our mutual struggle against terrorism," the White House said. "The leaders also discussed how to advance our shared effort to degrade and destroy ISIL," it said, using an acronym for Islamic State. In a statement on Friday, Turkey's presidential office said the two NATO leaders discussed cooperation on resolving the refugee crisis and how partners in the fight against Islamic State can ramp up their efforts. (Reporting by Jeff Mason and Orhan Coskun; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Nick Macfie)