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US-TURKEY-DIPLOMACY
Erdogan invites Trump to visit Turkey: White House
WASHINGTON, Dec 25, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has
invited his American counterpart Donald Trump to visit Turkey in 2019, the
White House said on Monday.
“President Erdogan invited President Trump to visit Turkey in 2019. While
nothing definite is being planned, the President is open to a potential
meeting in the future,” a White House spokesperson said.
The invitation comes just days after Trump made the controversial decision
to withdraw American troops from Syria, where they have been deployed to
assist in the international war against the Islamic State jihadist group.
Turkey was a rare ally that lauded Trump’s decision on Syria, a country
where it will now have a freer rein to target Kurdish fighters who were armed
and trained by the US and played a major role in the war against IS but are
deemed terrorists by Ankara.
Turkey has said an offensive targeting the Syrian Kurdish People’s
Protection Units (YPG) militia and IS group will be launched in the coming
months, and has deployed troops to the Syrian border.
BSS/AFP/RY/08:10 hrs