Erdogan:

Turkey Has No Issue with Kurds

TEHRAN (defapress)- Turkey has no problem with Kurds and aims to fight terror groups Daesh (ISIS or ISIL), PKK and its Syrian affiliate PYD/YPG threatening national security, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a phone call with his US counterpart Donald Trump on Monday.

News ID: 74999

Date: 15 January 2019 - 14:47

A statement from the Turkish presidency said Erdogan and Trump discussed the idea of a terror-free safe zone in Syria's Northern region, World News reported.

Turkey backs Trump's decision on the withdrawal of US forces from Syria, Erdogan added.

The two leaders agreed to advance bilateral economic relations.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement that Trump and Erdogan “discussed several bilateral issues, including ongoing cooperation in Syria as US forces begin to withdraw, and other topics for future cooperation".

“The president expressed the desire to work together to address Turkey’s security concerns in northeast Syria while stressing the importance to the United States that Turkey does not mistreat the Kurds and other Syrian Democratic Forces with whom we have fought to defeat ISIS,” she added.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Joseph Dunford is set to meet with his Turkish counterpart Yasar Guler on Tuesday for further consultations, according to the White House.

The phone call came after Trump threatened to "devastate Turkey economically if they hit Kurds", conflating "Kurds" with the terrorist PYD/YPG, a confusion that Turkey has repeatedly criticized.

The leaders emphasized that the Manbij Road Map should be completed to avoid a vacuum of authority in the region.

In a tweet later Monday evening Trump said he spoke with Erdogan "to advise where we stand on all matters including our last two weeks of success in fighting the remnants of ISIS, and 20 mile safe zone".

The discussions, Trump said, also focused on bilateral economic ties, which he added have "great potential to substantially expand!"

Erdogan has signaled that a cross-border operation against the PYD/YPG terrorist group in Northeastern Syria will happen soon. Since 2016, Ankara has carried out two similar military operations in Northern Syria.

Turkish and US troops began joint patrols in Manbij on November 1 as part of an agreement that focuses on the withdrawal of PYD/YPG terrorists from the city to stabilize the region.

PKK is a terrorist group recognized by Turkey, the US and the EU, which in its 30-year terror campaign has taken some 40,000 lives.

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