President Barack Obama highlighted U.S. ties to Turkey in a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, saying he wants the two countries to work together to end the civil war in Syria.

Mr. Obama and the Turkish President, who were in the French capital for a global climate summit, met to discuss the situation in Syria and the shared struggle against Islamic State. The U.S. president emphasized that Turkey is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally and said, “We have a common enemy, and that is ISIL.”

After the meeting, Mr. Obama said he hoped to accelerate military-to-military contacts with Turkey to ensure the country’s security and as part of an effort to wind down the conflict in Syria.

Mr. Erdogan said the two leaders had discussed the establishment of a transitional government in Syria. Recent tensions between Turkey and Russia also were on the agenda, he said.