‘President Erdogan is my friend and someone I respect’: Trump
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) meets with U.S. President Donald Trump. (AA Photo)
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump expressed his admiration for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, calling him “a friend” and someone “I respect.”
“President Erdogan is a friend of mine. He’s a guy I like, respect. I think he respects me also,” he said.
During a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump discussed his foreign policy agenda. Reflecting on his previous presidency, Trump noted his efforts to avoid wars and addressed questions about the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, emphasizing Türkiye’s role in the process.
‘Erdogan very smart guy’
Trump said that during his first term, he defeated Daesh in Syria and withdrew most U.S. troops from the country. When asked about the current situation, he highlighted the importance of Ankara.
In response to questions about withdrawing around 2,000 American troops from Syria, Trump said, “I won’t tell you that, because that’s part of a military strategy, but I will say it was Turkey.”
Meanwhile, Trump claimed that Türkiye has been pursuing Syria for 2,000 years, in various forms and under different names.
“But if you look at what happened with Syria, Russia was weakened, Iran was weakened. And he’s (President Erdogan) a very smart guy, and he sent his people in there through different forms and different names, and they went in and they took over,” Trump added.
He also claimed Türkiye stopped its military operation after he pressured the country.
