Turkish, US officials to meet in Washington

ANKARA (Reuters), AUGUST 7 2018-A delegation of Turkish officials will head to Washington in two days to discuss an ongoing row between the two NATO allies, broadcaster CNN Turk reported on Tuesday, citing diplomatic sources.   

Relations between the two countries have steadily worsened, strained by differences on Syria policy and over the trial of U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson in Turkey.   

Over the weekend, the U.S. Trade Representative said it was reviewing Turkey’s duty-free access to the U.S. market, after Ankara imposed retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods in response to American tariffs on steel and aluminum. The move could affect $1.7 billion of Turkish exports.   

On Tuesday, CNN Turk cited diplomatic sources saying that Ankara and Washington had reached pre-agreements on certain issues, but it did not elaborate.   

The Turkish government was not immediately available for comment, and the U.S. State Department did not respond to a request for comment.