US President Joe Biden and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday discussed a deadly bombing in Istanbul and international efforts to export Ukrainian grain, the White House said.
\nThe two leaders talked on the margins of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, touching on several of the issues at the heart of the close, but often contentious US-Turkish relationship.
\nIn a readout, the White House said Biden expressed \u201cdeep condolences\u201d for the deaths of six people in a bomb attack in a busy street in Istanbul on Sunday, underlining that \u201cwe stand with our Nato ally.\u201d
\nThe Turkish government blames the attack on a Kurdish militant group, the PKK, which has denied involvement.
\nOn Monday, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu refused to accept condolences issued by the US embassy, saying Washington helps to arm Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.
\n\u201cWe do not accept the US embassy’s message of condolences. We reject it,\u201d he said.
\nThe Biden-Erdogan meeting also covered an international deal to ship Ukrainian grain exports safely out across the Black Sea for world markets.
\nThe arrangement with Russia, which is attacking Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, is vital to helping stem disruptions to global food supplies but is set to expire on Saturday.
\n\u201cPresident Biden expressed his appreciation to President Erdogan for his efforts to renew the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which they both agreed has been critical to improving global food security amid Russia’s war and that the initiative must continue,\u201d the White House said.
\nA third sensitive issue was \u201cclose coordination\u201d on the Nato alliance, with Turkey currently holding up membership bids by Finland and Sweden.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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