Washington – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has invited U.S. President Donald Trump to visit Turkey in 2019, a White House spokesman said on Monday.
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“While nothing definite is being planned, the President is open to a potential meeting in the future,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement.
The conflict in Syria following Trump’s announcement of a U.S. pullout, the fallout from the murder of a U.S.-based Saudi journalist in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and Turkey’s demand for the extradition of a Muslim cleric from the United States are among the main issues occupying the two NATO allies.
The Turkish presidency said Trump and Erdogan agreed during a phone call on Sunday to coordinate to prevent an authority vacuum from developing as the United States withdraws from Syria.
Erdogan welcomed Trump’s abrupt decision last week to withdraw American troops from Syria, which has upended U.S. policy in the region and would remove a source of friction between the two countries.
Washington has backed Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters while Turkey brands the group a terrorist organization.
A senior U.S. official said Trump had not discussed the pullout decision with Erdogan in advance.
U.S. military officials will visit Turkey this week to discuss the details of the Syria pullout with their counterparts, an Erdogan spokesman said on Monday.
Trump and Erdogan have taken different tacks in their response to the Oct. 2 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Trump has said he wants Washington to stand by the Saudi government and its de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, despite a CIA assessment it was likely the prince had ordered the killing.
Erdogan has pushed to keep international attention on Khashoggi’s killing and put the spotlight on the prince. Saudi Arabia has said the prince had no prior knowledge of the murder.
Trump said last month he was not considering extraditing Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey blames for a failed 2016 coup, as part of efforts to ease Turkish pressure on Saudi Arabia over the killing of Khashoggi.
Turkey’s foreign minister said last week that during a meeting with Erdogan in Buenos Aires several weeks ago, Trump said he was working on extraditing Gulen.
A senior White House official later said that during the Argentina meeting, Trump did not commit to handing over Gulen to Turkey.
erdogan will murder millions of innocent men,women,and children before he’s done if he’s not stopped!
I guess some of you ( Archy + ) would think nothing of it to meet with the anti-semite tyrant who does not miss the opportunity to bash Israel. Who funded the gaza flotilla? Wasn’t me, nor Pelosi, nor AOC.
Doesn’t the White House have it’s own Turkey? Why would Trump consider going there if he can just go to his Turkey on the White House lawn? Very strange indeed.
He loves those tyrants
Maybe, while in Turkey, Trump can pay a visit to the Saudi Embassy to view the site where the journalist was butchered at the behest of Trump’s friend the Saudi Prince. Donald already pardoned 2 turkeys last month and will pardon Turkey when they exterminate the Kurds.
Bunch of sick puppies posting. For heaven’s sake he is the president of this country and it’s in his interest and ours to meet with leaders across the globe. Not for us to second guess his reasons or postulate our ignorant reasonings.
Will his trip be before or after the Turks slaughter the Kurds with U.S. approval?
After kissing antasemit Erdo in islamic Turkie, the Orange Oaf will visit Tsar Pootin, then Hungaria, the Phiilipines Psycho and the murderpus Saudis. All tyrants, dictators, garbage. Like the Oaf. FEH
It’s funny it was the obamanation who called erdogan one of his 5 best friend heads of state