Canikli said on Feb. 15 that he met his United States Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Brussels on February 14 and made the demand in the gathering.

Meanwhile, the U.S. called on Turkey to remain focused on fighting the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, according to a statement released by the Pentagon on Feb. 15.

“[Mattis] called for a renewed focus on the campaign to defeat IS, and to preventing any vestige of the terrorist organization from reconstituting in Syria,” the statement said.

Canikli and Mattis were in Brussels to attend meetings of NATO Ministers of Defense. Earlier, Canikli also met his French counterpart Florence Parly in the city.

No further details were provided by either side, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Reporter’s code: 50101