With his visit aimed at ironing out differences with NATO ally Turkey, one of Rex Tillerson's first diplomatic appointments in the capital Ankara was a visit to the mausoleum of one of the country's greatest heroes - the founder of the Turkish republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
Mr Tillerson laid a wreath at the site and paused for a minute's silence.
"It is out of deep respect and admiration for the great and distinguished leader of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, that I am deeply honoured and proud as the representative of the American people to pay my respects to Turkish nation and to this great leader. Thank you very much."
It was then down to talks with Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, who admitted the relationship with the United States could be better.
High on the list of grievances is US support for the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia in Syria, seen by Turkey as a hostile force with deep links to Kurdish PKK militants, who have waged a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state.
According to Mr Cavusoglu, there is no difference between the YPG and the PKK.
"PKK is on the terrorist list but unfortunately we have seen cooperation with YPG in Syria in the past and we have sadly seen the former administration's support to YPG. The support given to a terrorist organisation that targets us, has saddened us and it has affected our relationship and it has also negatively affected Turkish people's perspective and feelings towards the United States."
Mr Cavusoglu was also stepping up pressure over the continued presence in the US of cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed by the Turkish Government for orchestrating last year's failed coup.
"(US Attorney-General) Jeff Sessions told us he would examine the documents and evidence on Gulen meticulously. We expect to see concrete steps regarding these matters. We want the US to take some administrative steps and meet our demand for his temporary detention."
Further clouding the relationship has been this week's New York arrest of an executive of Turkey's state-run Halkbank, accused of conspiring with aTurkish-Iranian gold trader to evade US sanctions on Iran.
Mr Cavusoglu has described the arrest as a political move and accused the US attorney who launched the case of having strong ties with Fetullah Gulen's supporters.
All this has left Rex Tillerson treading a delicate diplomatic line, focusing on joint efforts with Turkey to create stabilisation zones in Syria and stressing their mutual goal of tackling terrorism head-on.
"Let there be no mistake, just so we can be clear: there is no space between Turkey and the United States and our commitment to defeat Daesh, to defeat ISIS, not just in Syria and Iraq but as members of the greater coalition to defeat Daesh anywhere Daesh shows its face on planet Earth that will be confronted by the coalition to defeat them on the battlefield as well as in the cyber space and the social media space."
Describing the US as a trusted ally of Turkey, Mr Tillerson acknowledged the sensitivities surrounding the role of Kurdish fighters.
"They are difficult options. Let me be very frank, these are not easy decisions, they are difficult choices that have to be made. So this has been very good, the conversations today, let me be very frank, very candid. And we will be taking those conversations away and the foreign minister and the president, the prime minister, they will consider all of the exchanges we had today but ultimately Turkey and the United States will stay together in the fight."
All this as the humanitarian crisis in Syria continues. The United Nations says the number of refugees from the country has passed five million, and neighbouring Turkey is hosting about three million of them.
The milestone comes a year to the day since the UN asked other countries to start resettling at least 10 per cent of the most vulnerable refugees, but only 250,000 places have so far been offered.
The UN humanitarian advisor on Syria, Jan Egeland, says the numbers are distressing.
"It's a horrific milestone in this terrible war, that has lasted longer than the Second World War, and with the accumulated number of displaced, 5 million registered refugees now plus another more than 6 million internally displaced inside Syria, we have figures that we haven't seen in and from a single country since probably the 1940s."
It's estimated more than one million refugees of varying nationalities will need resettlement this year alone, 40 per cent of them Syrian.
