Nato chief urges US, Turkey to ‘find solutions’ to row

BRUSSELS: Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg on Friday urged the United States and Turkey to "sit down and find solutions" to a crisis in relations between the two key members of the military alliance.

The row erupted when a Turkish employee of the US consulate in Istanbul was arrested on suspicion of links to a US-based preacher Ankara blames for last year’s failed coup.

Washington halted issuing non-immigrant visas in Turkey in response and yesterday President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the US was in danger of "sacrificing" relations.

"I only urge the United States and Turkey to sit down and find solutions because it is important for the alliance that we are able to work closely together, especially in that region, because Turkey is a key for our fight against terrorism," Stoltenberg told AFP in an interview.

Turkey is a key player in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group and the US relies heavily on the airbase at Incirlik in the country’s south to launch air strikes against the militants in neighbouring Iraq and Syria.

"We are always ready to help, but I know there are direct contacts so I am certain Turkey and the United States are talking to each other directly and addressing some of this disputes," Stoltenberg said.

Turkey’s relations with the United States and many Western countries have been strained since last year’s failed military coup against Erdogan, in which more than 240 people were killed.

Turkey felt many allies were slow to condemn the coup attempt and failed to appreciate the danger it faced. Western countries have grown alarmed at the scale of Turkey’s post-coup crackdown, with 50,000 people detained and 150,000 suspended from work.

Ties with the United States hit a low when Turkey detained a locally employed worker at the U.S. consulate in Istanbul last week.

The United States says it is still seeking an explanation for the arrest - the second detention of a consulate worker this year. It suspended most visa services in Turkey, saying it needed to review Turkey’s commitment to the security of its mission and staff. Turkey reciprocated within hours.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday and expressed his “profound concern”, the U.S. State Department said. Erdogan has blamed outgoing U.S. ambassador John Bass, saying he was putting at risk a decades-old alliance.

“Let me be very clear, the person who caused this is the ambassador here. It is unacceptable for the United States to sacrifice a strategic partner to an ambassador who doesn’t know his place,” Erdogan told provincial governors meeting in Ankara.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said Turkish and US officials would meet to work on resolving the crisis and described talks between their foreign ministers as constructive.