From Hürriyet Daily News:  The United States’ top spy paid an unannounced two-day visit to Ankara to discuss deepening instability in Syria, the joint fight against terrorism and closer cooperation on pressing regional issues “in coming months.”

David Petraeus, the CIA chief, held meetings with top Turkish officials both yesterday and on March 12, the Hürriyet Daily News learned. Petraeus met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan yesterday and his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, head of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT), the previous day.

An official from the U.S. Embassy said that Turkish and Amerian officials discussed “more fruitful cooperation on the region’s most pressing issues in the coming months.” Turkish officials said Erdoğan and Petraeus exchanged views on the Syrian crisis and anti-terror fight.

From Carlos Munoz, the Hill:  The talks, which were left off Erdoğan’s official schedule, also touched on the growing furor over Iran’s nuclear program and ways to curb Kurdish rebel forces from staging cross-border attacks into northern Iraq from Turkey. Ankara declined to comment on details of the talks.   (photo: Getty)

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