Donald Trump praises Erdogan
Last Updated on December 19, 2024 6:13 am
US President-elect Donald Trump praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying, “Turkey is a major military power that has not tired of fighting.”
He said this at a news conference in Florida on Monday (December 16) local time. Reuters reported.
“You know, there is a lot in Syria right now, a lot of things are still uncertain. I think Turkey holds the key to Syria.”
Turkey controls parts of northern Syria. The area was once held by the Kurdish YPG militia. But they were driven out of the area by Turkish forces and the Ankara-backed Syrian National Army (SNA).
But the YPG is one of the anti-Assad rebels. It is a significant partner in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition of Kurdish rebels backed by the US.
The SDF controls a part of northeastern Syria. The region is home to a US military base. There are about 900 US troops there. Washington claims they are there to fight the Islamic State (IS).
Top officials in Washington and Ankara have held several talks since Bashar’s fall. They have agreed to work to prevent IS from rising in the post-Bashar political vacuum.
Trump was asked about the US troops in Syria at the press conference. But he did not give a direct answer. Instead, he talked about the strength of the Turkish military and his relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“I think Erdogan is great… he has built a very strong and powerful army,” he said.