U.S. President Barack Obama extended his condolences to Turkey over recent terror attacks in the country, while reaffirming that the U.S. will continue to cooperate with the country in the fight against terror.
In a phone call with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Obama condemned the Daesh terror attack on a popular nightclub in Istanbul on New Year's Eve as well as the PKK terror attack in Kayseri on Dec 17.
Conveying his condolences to the families of the victims killed in the attacks, the U.S. president wished a speedy recovery those injured and said that the U.S. will continue working alongside its NATO ally in the fight against terror.
A Daesh terrorist opened fire on partygoers at a nightclub in Istanbul's Ortaköy district in the early hours of New Year's Day, killing 39 people and wounding 65.
Sixty-nine people were also hurt, with a number of foreigners among the dead and injured.
Obama also praised Turkey's efforts to extend the ceasefire in Syria to the whole country as well as its efforts to start political dialogue and negotiations between the opposition and the Assad regime.
The two leaders also discussed latest advances made in Iraq and Syria in the fight against Daesh, and agreed that Turkey and the U.S. should maintain close cooperation on the issue.
The two also touched upon the upcoming Cyprus reunification talks, expressing hope for a unified, bizonal and bicommunal solution. The Cyprus meetings will take place in Geneva on Jan.12.
