Erdoğan, Trump speak about Syria in phone call
ISTANBUL
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the crisis in Syria in a telephone conversation late on April 11, officials have said.
Erdoğan and Trump “exchanged views on the latest developments in Syria,” a Turkish presidential source said, without providing further details.
The White House later confirmed the call and issued a brief readout.
The pair spoke “to discuss the current crisis in Syria” and “the two leaders agreed to stay in close contact about the situation,” it said.
The talks come after Trump warned Russia over its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, tweeting that U.S. missiles “will be coming” in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack.
Before Erdoğan and Trump spoke on the phone, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım earlier in the day said Russia and the United States should end their “street fighting” over Syria.
Turkey and the United States are key NATO allies, but their relations have been strained over a number of issues including Washington’s support for Syrian Kurdish militia deemed as a terrorist outfit by Ankara.
In recent months, Turkey has worked closely with Russia, despite their differences. Ankara backs rebel forces seeking al-Assad’s ouster while Moscow remains major ally of the regime in Damascus.
