U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s planned visit to Turkey on Feb. 15 shows just how “serious this matter is,” State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Feb. 13, referring to the stark differences in Turkish and U.S. interests in Syria during the daily briefing.
“This is one of the areas of deep, deep concern on the part of the administration and the U.S. government,” Nauert told reporters in the U.S. capital.
“We certainly don’t want to see violence to further escalate,” she said.
Tillerson is set to visit the NATO ally bordering the Middle East with Syria on the agenda.