Biden 'confident' US and Turkey 'will make real progress'

WASHINGTON US President Joe Biden described his first face-to-face meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan as "positive and productive," saying both countries will make progress on bilateral relations. Speaking at a news conference in Brussels after several talks with NATO member states' leaders, including a one-on-one meeting with Erdogan, besides talks between the Turkish and US delegations, Biden said he and Erdogan had detailed discussions about how to proceed on a number of issues. "Our teams are going to continue our discussions and I'm confident we'll make real progress with Turkey and the United States," said Biden. Earlier, Erdogan said Turkey and the US agreed to use direct channels of dialogue effectively and regularly, befitting the two allies and strategic partners. “There is no issue that cannot be resolved in Turkey-US relations,” said Erdogan, adding that “the cooperation areas are wider and richer than problem areas.” The one-on-one meeting at the NATO headquarters lasted for 45 minutes. The two leaders met for the first time since Biden took office in January. The NATO summit, gathering heads of member states and governments, has begun on Monday in Brussels.