Erdogan tells Tillerson Turkey's regional priorities

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, met for over three hours in capital Ankara on Thursday during which they discussed several issues, including bilateral ties and regional developments, particularly Syria and Iraq.

According to a Turkish presidential source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, Erdogan and Tillerson also exchanged views on the fight against terrorism.

During their meeting at the presidential complex, Erdogan "explicitly" told Tillerson Turkey's priorities and expectations from the US on bilateral ties and regional developments, the source added.

The meeting, which was closed to the media, started at 19:40 local time (1640GMT) and lasted for three hours and 15 minutes.

Tillerson is on a two-day working visit to Turkey and will meet his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on Friday to discuss bilateral relations, particularly the US support for the YPG/PKK terrorist group, and international developments.

The meeting is expected to be followed by a joint news conference.

Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch on January 20 to clear Syria's Afrin region of the YPG/PKK and Daesh after months of warnings on the issue.

The operation started days after the US announced the formation of a 30,000-strong "Border Security Force" composed of YPG/SDF militants near Turkey's border in northern Syria.

The announcement was met with alarm by Ankara, which considers the YPG to be the Syrian branch of the PKK, which is a designated terrorist organisation in Turkey, the US and the EU.

Turkey’s biggest security concern is the YPG carving out an autonomous territory near its southeastern border.