Biden Apologizes to Erdogan over Jihadist Funding Claim
United States Vice President Joe Biden on Saturday apologized to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over comments suggesting that Ankara and other regional powers had financed and armed jihadist organizations in Syria.
Erdogan reacted furiously earlier Saturday at comments made by Biden at Harvard University on Thursday, in which the vice president criticized allies in Turkey and the Arab world for supporting Sunni militant groups in Syria such as the Islamic State (IS) group and al-Qaida-linked Al-Nusra.
"If Mr Biden used such language, that would make him a man of the past for me," Erdogan told a press conference in Istanbul.
"No one can accuse Turkey of having supported any terrorist organization in Syria, including IS," he said.
A statement from Biden's office released in Washington said the deputy U.S. leader had called Erdogan to "clarify" his remarks.
"The vice president apologized for any implication that Turkey or other allies and partners in the region had intentionally supplied or facilitated the growth of ISIL or other violent extremists in Syria," a summary of the phone call said, using a common acronym for the Islamic State group.
"The vice president made clear that the United States greatly values the commitments and sacrifices made by our allies and partners from around the world to combat the scourge of ISIL, including Turkey.
"The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of Turkey and the United States working closely together to confront ISIL."
Source: Agence France Presse
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