Advertisement

Updated October 7th, 2019 at 10:02 IST

Turkey President Erdogan to meet Trump in US over Syria 'safe zone'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US counterpart Trump agreed during a phone call to meet in Washington next month to discuss creating a "safe zone"

Trump
| Image:self
Advertisement

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US counterpart Donald Trump agreed during a phone call to meet in Washington next month to discuss creating a "safe zone" in northern Syria, the Turkish presidency said Sunday.

Erdogan told Trump of his "frustration over the US military and security bureaucracy's failure to implement the deal" agreed in August to establish a buffer zone on the Turkish border, the presidency said in a statement. It added that the visit would take place after an invitation from Trump.

There had been expectations in Turkey of a Trump-Erdogan meeting on Syria last month on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, but it did not take place.

The Turkish leader had raised the temperature on Saturday by warning that Ankara could launch a cross-border offensive "as soon as today, tomorrow", putting pressure on the United States. Turkish state media also reported on military reinforcements sent to the border with Syria after Erdogan's comments.

READ| Vladimir Putin Treats Recep Tayyip Erdogan With Icecream At MAKS 2019

Trump administration has sought to stop any Turkish operation against a US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia viewed by Ankara as a "terrorist" offshoot of Kurdish militants in Turkey. The US worked closely with the People's Protection Units (YPG) militia against the Islamic State (IS) group, capturing swathes of territory from the jihadists.

After difficult US-Turkey talks ended with the August agreement, Turkish and American forces held joint ground and air patrols in northern Syria. However, Turkey accused the US of stalling over the establishment of the "safe zone".

The two leaders discussed the "safe zone" during the call in which Erdogan told Trump it would create the "necessary conditions" for Syrian refugees to return to Syria. Turkey is hosting over 3.6 million Syrian refugees but there has been a growing public backlash in recent months against their presence in Turkey.

With some Western capitals concerned over any unilateral Turkish operation's impact on the fight against IS jihadists, Erdogan insisted Turkey would take the "necessary precautions" to ensure there was no extremist resurgence in the region.

Turkey twice launched military operations against IS in 2016 and the YPG in 2018, supporting Syrian rebels to take territory in northern Syria. 

READ| ISIS' Jihadi Jack Spotted In Secret Syrian Prison On TV By Parents

Advertisement

Published October 7th, 2019 at 08:18 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending Quicks

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Rajya Sabha MP Keshava Rao is set to join the Congress party.
a few seconds ago
 Confidence-boosting Gems
a few seconds ago
Xiaomi 14 Ultra
3 minutes ago
Allu Arjun Unveils His Wax Statue At Madame Tussauds In Dubai
5 minutes ago
A poster of Crew
10 minutes ago
How to Keep Yourself Safe from Unhealthy Air?
12 minutes ago
TMC Delgation at ECI Office
24 minutes ago
Congress Press Conference
31 minutes ago
Raw Mango
31 minutes ago
Gen Z worker goes to the salon while “working from home”
33 minutes ago
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo