He emphasizes that the Kurds “seem very satisfied” and argues that he is “very good friend” of Erdogan.
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, said Wednesday that the ceasefire in northern Syria “is very well maintained”, receiving his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the White House.
“We have been talking to the Kurds and they seem very satisfied,” Trump said. “I want to thank the president (Erdogan) for the work they have done,” he said, before adding that “it is time for the United States not to worry about the borders of others.”
He also stressed that US troops deployed in the Arab country “are protecting oil.” “We have oil. Oil is safe. We leave troops behind just for oil,” he said.
Trump has also said that he is “very good friend” of Erdogan, despite the bilateral tensions of recent months, and has advanced that both countries could “very quickly” increase their commercial ties.
“We understand each other’s country, we understand where we came from. I understand the problems they have had, including the many dead in Turkey in the area we are talking about. He (Erdogan) has to do something about it. It is not a street of an address, “he said.
The US president has also stressed that Turkey “has recently captured more than one hundred Islamic State fighters” and has again highlighted the role of Washington in the death of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, former leader of the jihadist group.
In this regard, he recalled that after Al Baghdadi died his ‘number two’ and has influenced the new leader, Abú Ibrahim al Hashimi, “is fleeing for his life.”
AN “FRANCO AND PRODUCTIVE” MEETING
After the meeting behind closed doors, Trump has described the talks with his Turkish counterpart as “frank and productive” on a variety of “very important” issues.
The president of the United States has also thanked Erdogan for his cooperation in “building a more stable, peaceful and prosperous Middle East.”
Thus, Trump has assured that the situation in Syria is “complicated” but has stressed that Washington and Ankara are working to improve it. “The ceasefire, although complicated, advances and does so at a very rapid pace,” he stressed.
For his part, Erdogan has stressed that Turkey has repeatedly expressed its willingness to fight against Islamic State, especially after the death of Al Baghdadi, and recalled that he has arrested several prisoners who have fled Syrian prisons and have reached their country.
Regarding the ‘Operation Peace Spring’, Erdogan has affirmed that Turkey took “another step” in the fight against terrorism in a “very determined” way.
“Our country, with this operation, had a very significant impact on the separatist agenda of terrorist organizations such as the PKK and the YPG in Syria,” said the Turkish president, referring to the Kurdish militia Units of Popular Protection and the Party of Kurdistan Workers (PKK).
Erdogan has also stressed the importance of the United States and Turkey continuing to work together to achieve peace and stability in Syria “once and for all.”
Erdogan has also stressed that Ankara is “the only ally of NATO” who has fought against the Islamic State in a “determined” manner and has indicated that his country is the most “reliable” for the United States in the region.
Turkey began on October 9 the ‘Operation Peace Spring’, which was subsequently paused following agreements with the United States and Russia to allow the withdrawal of Kurdish forces from the ‘safe zone’ demanded by Ankara in the Arab country.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDS), whose main member is the Kurdish militia Units of Popular Protection (YPG), is the main ally in Syria of the coalition that leads the United States in its fight against the Islamic State.
The operations began a few days after Trump agreed with Ankara to withdraw his troops from the country, taking a 180 degree turn to the hitherto firm alliance with the SDS.
