Readout of the Vice President's Call with Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Vice President

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 11, 2014

Readout of the Vice President's Call with Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan

The Vice President spoke today with Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan regarding the security situation around Mosul, Iraq, where elements of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have taken over significant portions of the city, seized the Turkish consulate, and taken Turkish personnel -- including the Consul General and family members -- hostage. The Vice President underscored the United States condemns the actions taken by ISIL, calls for the safe and immediate return of the Turkish personnel and family members, and supports efforts by Iraqi national and Kurdish security forces to work together to combat the ISIL threat. The Vice President told Prime Minister Erdogan that the United States is prepared to support Turkey’s efforts to bring about the safe return of its citizens and will stay in close touch with the Turkish and Iraqi governments regarding a resolution to the security situation.