CIA chief, Turkish PM hold closed-door talks on Syria

PanARMENIAN.Net - CIA chief David Petraeus met Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, March 13, for closed-door talks focusing on the crisis across the border in Syria.

According to AFP, Petraeus, director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, also discussed the latest developments in neighboring Iran and efforts to counter Kurdish rebels.

U.S. embassy spokesman T.J. Grubisha said Petraeus met with Erdogan and Turkish National Intelligence Organization chief Hakan Fidan and "discussed areas of mutual concern, including regional security issues and counter-terrorism cooperation.

"They foresee even closer and more fruitful cooperation on the region's most pressing issues in the coming months."

Erdogan has been fiercely critical of the Syrian regime's year-long crackdown on the opposition and has called on President Bashar al-Assad to quit.

The talks were not part of Erdogan's official itinerary. The premier's office declined to comment on the report.