Politics

Report: Trump To Meet With Turkish President In Washington Next Month

(Photo credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Kaitlan Collins Contributor
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Donald Trump will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Washington next month, a new report claims.

According to Reuters, the two leaders will meet for the first time on May 16-17.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation.

Trump phoned the Turkish leader on Monday “to congratulate him on his recent referendum victory” and to discuss the U.S. missile strike on a Syrian airbase after a chemical attack in the country left more than 80 people dead.

“President Trump thanked President Erdogan for supporting this action by the United States, and the leaders agreed on the importance of holding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accountable,” the White House said in a readout. “President Trump and President Erdogan also discussed the counter-ISIS campaign and the need to cooperate against all groups that use terrorism to achieve their ends.”

When asked if the call was a formal recognition of the controversial referendum, deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the call was “about developing the relationship.”

“Look, the Middle East is a pretty rough neighborhood, and sometimes you have to get together to help them beat the bullies, like Syria,” Sanders said. “And that was something that certainly needed to be talked about.”

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