Trump, Erdogan discuss Syria cooperation in first presidential call
In their first call since Donald Trump became president, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pushed for an end to the US alliance with the Kurdish People's Protection Units.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeated calls for the United States to ditch its alliance with a Syrian Kurdish-dominated militia in its battle against the Islamic State (IS).
In a late night phone call Feb. 7 with Donald Trump, Erdogan drew attention to the close ties between the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Kurdistan Workers Party, the group that is fighting for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey and is on the State Department’s list of terrorist organizations.
A senior Turkish official told Al-Monitor that the conversation went “very well” but declined to provide further details. Turkish officials quoted in the Turkish media reported that CIA Director Mike Pompeo will travel to Ankara Feb. 9 to “discuss security issues.”
There was no word, however, on Trump’s response to Erdogan’s complaints about the YPG. In a brief readout of the call, the White House stated, “President Donald J. Trump today spoke by phone with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey about the close, long-standing relationship between the United States and Turkey and their shared commitment to combatting terrorism in all its forms. President Trump reiterated US support to Turkey as a strategic partner and NATO ally and welcomed Turkey’s contributions to the counter-[IS] campaign.”
