Mueller met with Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek, Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin and Oğuz Kağan Köksal, head of the Security General Directorate. Officials at the US Embassy in Ankara contacted by Today’s Zaman said that the visit was part of “regular contact” between the two countries.
“The director was here to discuss our ongoing and important cooperation on counter-terrorism and law enforcement matters. Turkey is one of our key partners in the global struggle against terrorism, and we strongly support Turkey’s efforts against the PKK [the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party] terrorist organization,” the US Embassy said in a written statement.
“The FBI and the Turkish National Police have a long history of working together in the fight against terrorism and transnational organized crime. We are looking forward to an exchange of views on opportunities for even closer and more effective cooperation in our common struggle against terror and law-breakers,” the brief statement said.
In December 2005, Mueller visited Turkey to discuss al-Qaeda and PKK-related activities in the country. Since then, bilateral cooperation between the two countries against PKK activities has increased considerably.
