Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his US counterpart Donald Trump held a telephone conversation during which they addressed recent developments in Syria and the planned withdrawal of the US forces from the country, the Turkish president's press service said on Friday
ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd February, 2019) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his US counterpart Donald Trump held a telephone conversation during which they addressed recent developments in Syria and the planned withdrawal of the US forces from the country, the Turkish president's press service said on Friday.
"During the telephone talks, the presidents of Turkey and the United States discussed the recent developments in Syria, noting the importance of supporting the political process in the country, and the commitment of both sides to fight against any manifestations of terrorism. President Erdogan reaffirmed Turkey's commitment to continuing close cooperation with its strategic partner, the United States. Erdogan and Trump agreed to conduct the withdrawal of the US forces from Syria, taking into account the interests of both sides," Erdogan's office said in a statement.
The statement added that the presidents reached a consensus concerning the need to expand bilateral economic ties and increase bilateral trade to $75 billion.
In December, Trump announced that Washington would pull out its forces, which had been operating in Syria for years as part of the international coalition fighting against the Islamic State terror group (banned in Russia).
Notably, the US forces have been operating in Syria without the authorization of the middle Eastern country's government or the UN Security Council. Washington has been supporting the Kurdish-led militia controlling the territories to the east of the Euphrates and opposing the Syrian government. Ankara, in its turn, sees the militia linked to the Turkey-based Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which the authorities have listed as a terrorist organization.
