MIAMI, March 28, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday voiced concern for stability in Turkey as authorities cracked down on protests, while saying Washington wanted to work with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"We are watching. We have expressed concern. We don't like to see instability like that in the governance of any country that is such a close ally," Rubio told reporters as he flew from Suriname to Miami.

President Donald Trump had "a very good working relationship with Erdogan in the first administration. They would like to restart that," Rubio said.

"They are a NATO ally. We would like to cooperate with them in Syria and other places," he said.

Rubio met Tuesday in Washington with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

The State Department in a statement afterward said he voiced concern about the handling of the protests triggered by the arrest of Istanbul's mayor, although Turkey played down the account.

Rubio confirmed to reporters that he did voice concern in his meeting with Fidan.

He said he has heard the Turkish government's defense of the arrest of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, seen as a top rival to Erdogan, but also was aware of the opposition's contention that the move was politically motivated.

Rubio did not respond directly to a question on the crackdown on international media, including the expulsion of a BBC correspondent and arrest of an AFP reporter, saying that he was not yet familiar with the details.