A large group of protesters gathered outside the White House Wednesday during President Donald Trump’s meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Protesters carrying Kurdish, Syrian and Armenian flags expressed anger toward the Turkish president and his actions against Armenians and Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, according to The Washington Post.
Demonstrators chanted phrases such as “Erdogan is [the Islamic State],” “Long live Armenia,” “Turkey out of Syria” and “Turkey is a terrorist!” Washington Post reporter Marissa Lang tweeted Wednesday.
WATCH:
I’m out in front of the White House, where Turkish President Erdogan is meeting with President Trump. There are dozens of protesters here, chanting “Erdogan is ISIS,” “Long live Armenia,” “Turkey out of Syria” and “Turkey is a terrorist!” #Turkey pic.twitter.com/McbJ5Sxbne
— Marissa J. Lang (@Marissa_Jae) November 13, 2019
Trump’s meeting with Erdogan comes after Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Turkey in October and successfully secured a ceasefire agreement with the country so that military operations in northern Syria would cease permanently and U.S.-allied Kurdish troops would be allowed to leave the region safely.
The president subsequently lifted U.S. sanctions, including a $100 billion trade deal and 50% tariffs on steel, against Turkey after the five-day ceasefire concluded on Oct. 23. (RELATED: Speckheard: As Turkey’s Erdogan Visits White House, Remember He Is No Friend To US)
It is unclear, however, if fighting between the two countries in northern Syria has completely stopped, despite Trump’s efforts to make peace after pulling U.S. troops from the region. U.S. drones appeared to show footage of Turkish-backed fighters targeting Kurdish fighters in the region in October, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
Some of the protesters outside the White House Wednesday said they felt betrayed by Trump after he pulled U.S. forces from the region, leaving Kurdish fighters to defend themselves against Turkey, Lang wrote on Twitter.
WATCH:
The air is filled with flags: Kurdistan, Syria, YPG, Armenia and American stars and stripes. Folks here say they feel betrayed by Trump, who they blame for aiding Erdogan and exposing the Kurds in the US’s abrupt withdrawal from Syria. #Turkey pic.twitter.com/S7E7jjYfmL
— Marissa J. Lang (@Marissa_Jae) November 13, 2019
Erdogan said during the Wednesday conference with the president that Turkey’s “Operation Peace Spring” — an air and ground strike launched against the Kurds after Trump withdrew U.S. troops — was “step forward in fighting terrorism in a very resolute fashion.”
“In order to further strengthen our cooperation with Syria, we believe that we’ve gained significant momentum with our Oct. 17 agreement. But they are attacking our soldiers and [civilians] in a very provocative fashion,” the Turkish president added.
WATCH:
“In the last 24 hours, more than 19 attacks [have taken] place. At the beginning of this month … an explosive device was placed in an outdoor market. As a result of the explosion, 13 civilian lives were lost,” he continued in reference to a car bomb that killed 13 people in northern Syria on Nov. 2, which officials from both countries blamed on each other, according to The Associated Press.
Erdogan added that despite these events, Turkey is still committed to its ceasefire agreement with the U.S., but “some circles” have been unsympathetic toward Turkey and are clouding “the understanding of the public opinion.”
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