Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook provided the following readout
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter met with Turkish Minister of Defense Fikri Işik today on the sidelines of the counter-ISIL Defense Ministerial in London. The secretary thanked Minister Işik for his participation in the ministerial and for Turkey's significant contributions to the counter-ISIL campaign, especially Operation Euphrates Shield and its efforts to close its borders to ISIL. Both leaders reaffirmed their unyielding resolve to deal ISIL a lasting defeat, discussing a range of practical cooperative efforts that will accelerate the fight. The secretary also strongly condemned the Dec. 10 PKK attack on Turkish police and citizens and offered condolences on behalf of the Department of Defense for the tragic loss of life. Secretary Carter vowed the United States will continue to stand with Turkey to combat PKK, ISIL and terrorism in all its forms.
The secretary and the minister agreed on the need for the two NATO allies to continue their full range of bilateral defense activities and to look for ways to further strengthen defense cooperation in the future.