Mattis says US-Turkey military relations good despite diplomatic row

US and Turkish military forces continue to work well together, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Wednesday amid a diplomatic row between the two NATO partners.

"We maintain a very close collaboration, very close communication, the military-to-military interaction and integration has not been affected by this," Mattis told reporters as he traveled to a military headquarters in Florida.

“It’s a NATO ally that we will work hard to stay aligned with against our common enemy. And we are doing good work together,"  he stressed.

A diplomatic spat erupted last week when Turkey arrested a Turkish employee Metin Topuz of the American consulate on suspicion of links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) blamed for last year's failed coup.

Topuz has been linked to a number of FETO suspects, including police commissioners and former prosecutor Zekeriya Oz, a fugitive accused of attempting to overthrow the government through the use of force, said a judicial source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions. 

Ankara accuses FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen of orchestrating the attempted coup, which left 250 people dead and nearly 2,200 injured.

In response to Topuz's arrest, the United States stopped issuing non-immigrant visas from its missions in Turkey, prompting Turkish missions in the United States to hit back with a tit-for-tat step of their own.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke by telephone with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday to discuss the reciprocal suspension of visa services – their first talks since the eruption of one of the worst crises between Washington and Ankara in years.

On Tuesday, a Pentagon spokesman said the row had not impacted NATO or US military ties with Turkey.

The United States relies heavily on an air base at Incirlik in southern Turkey to launch air strikes against Daesh in neighbouring Syria and Iraq.