Absent new agreements, Trump-Erdogan meeting ends with pledge to work together
US President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Washington to rebuild US-Turkish relations without setting a clear path for progress.
As the public impeachment hearings opened against US President Donald Trump, the embattled American leader hosted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the White House today.
The much-anticipated meeting was their first since Turkey’s incursion into northeast Syria and though no new agreements were announced, the two presidents said they would work to restore strained US-Turkish relations.
“Turkey’s acquisition of sophisticated Russian military equipment, such as the S-400, creates some very serious challenges for us and we are talking about it constantly,” Trump said during a press conference following the meeting, saying his staff would work on resolving the S-400 issue.
Erdogan said Turkey remained a dedicated partner in the fight against terrorism and highlighted his nation’s role in hosting more than 3.6 million refugees. Before and after the press event, Trump also signaled he was open to expanding US-Turkey trade, stating the countries’ annual trade volume of $20 billion could reach $100 billion.
