US denies agreement with Turkey on Manbij

<p style="text-align: left;">The United States doesn&amp;rsquo;t have any agreements yet with Turkey on Manbij in northern Syria, the State Department said on May 29.

&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t have any agreements yet with the government of Turkey. We announced previously that the United States and the Turkish working group met...in Ankara [on May 25],&rdquo; State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said during a daily press briefing.

&ldquo;We&rsquo;re continuing to have ongoing conversations regarding Syria and other issues of mutual concern. The two sides then had outlined the contours of a roadmap for further cooperation, and that includes on Manbij,&rdquo; Nauert said.

U.S. military support for the People&rsquo;s Protection Units (YPG) has strained ties between the two countries. There are roughly 2,000 U.S. troops in Manbij, according to Anadolu Agency.

Following a visit by former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Ankara in February, Turkey and the U.S. established a mechanism to address separate issues in working groups, including the stabilization of Manbij and to prevent any undesirable clashes.

Nauert also said that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu are set to meet in Washington on June 4.

Reporter&rsquo;s code: 50101

News Code 4643

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