State Department: Tillerson and Erdogan had productive and open talks

The United States considers the meeting of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was productive, a State Department spokesman said.

"They engaged in a productive and open conversation about a mutually beneficial way forward in the US-Turkey relationship," CNN cited the official as saying.

He added that the US looks forward to continued progress with its important NATO ally.  Today Tillerson has a meeting with the country's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Asked about the unusual nature of the meeting, a State Department official added Tillerson has "met before with President Erdogan, and he's okay with the foreign minister doing the translation".