Trump, Erdogan Discuss Tensions in Iran, Syria, Libya
President Trump on Wednesday spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about simmering tensions across the Middle East, according to the White House, The Hill reports.
A White House spokesman said the two leaders discussed protests in Iran, where citizens have flooded the streets to express frustration with leaders in Tehran, as well as the Iranians shooting down a Ukrainian International Airlines passenger jet.
The U.S. and Iran appeared to step back last week from the brink of military conflict, tamping down tensions that spiked after Trump approved a strike that killed top Iranian gen. Qassem Soleimani. Tehran responded to Soleimani's death by firing missiles at Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops, but there were no casualties.
A short time later, the Ukrainian aircraft was shot down shortly after it departed an airport in Tehran, killing 176 people on board. After originally denying responsibility, Iran admitted that it unintentionally shot down the Ukrainian aircraft.
Trump and Erdogan also discussed conflicts in Libya and Syria, according to the White House. Both countries are grappling with faltering ceasefires.
Trump last year announced the U.S. would pull troops out of northern Syria, paving the way for a Turkish offensive in the region that targeted the American-allied Kurdish forces that Ankara considers terrorists.
The decision sparked a furor in Congress as Democrats and Republicans accused Trump of giving a "green light" to Turkey to slaughter the Kurds. Trump denied he had done so and later sent Vice President Mike Pence to broker a ceasefire.
Other materials on this subject
- Erdogan Calls Armenian Lobby ''Evil Power'', against which Turkey Will Continue Its Fight On Monday Erdogan announced a new four-day curfew effective Saturday in a televised speech following a cabinet meeting.
- Man Who Tries to Set Fire to Armenian Church in Istanbul says Armenians "Brought" COVID-19 Representatives of the Armenian patriarchy reported the incident, after which police and the provincial administration made statements.
- Gowns Ordered from Turkey Fail to Meet British Safety Standards The prime minister's spokesperson said the NHS was speaking to the supplier about getting replacement gowns.
- Erdogan Sends Letter to Trump Erdogan's letter arrived Tuesday along with medical equipment that Turkey sent to the US to help contain the outbreak of COVID-19. The administration of the Turkish president published a letter on Wednesday.
- Erdogan Rejects Minister's Resignation over Coronavirus Curfew: Al-Jazeera Turkey announced the weekend lockdown late on Friday, but in the brief time before it went into effect, many people rushed out to buy food and drink in the country's commercial hub Istanbul, a city of...
Read also
-
Trump to Withdraw From "Open Skies" Arms Control Treaty
-
Donald Trump Accuses China of Meddling in US Presidential Election
-
Biden Tops Trump Nationwide, but Battlegrounds Tilt Trump
-
Erdogan Calls Armenian Lobby ''Evil Power'', against which Turkey Will Continue Its Fight
-
Trump Vetoes Congress Resolution to Limit His Right to War with Iran
-
White House to Wind Down Coronavirus Task Force
-
Erdogan Sends Letter to Trump
-
Trump Says Plan to Re-Open Shuttered U.S. Economy to Be Completed Soon: Reuters
-
19:16Cyprus Pledges to Cover Costs for Virus-Hit Tourists
-
18:19Queen Allows Boris Johnson to Exercise in Buckingham Palace Grounds
-
18:02Trump Threatens to Close down Social Media Platforms after Twitter Posts Warning under His Tweet
-
16:59Restaurants, Shopping Malls, Public Transport Reopening in Georgia
-
16:135 Day Weather Forecast in Armenia
-
15:27California Governor Denies Sassounian Parole
-
14:52Trump Wants Full Afghanistan Pullout
-
13:18Thousands of Citizens May be Infected but do not Know About it: PM on Necessity to Wear Masks
-
11:38Samvel Avanesyan Appointed Minister of Labor, Social Affairs and Housing of Artsakh
-
11:06Armenia Records 7774 Confirmed Coronavirus Cases
-
10:39Parliament Ratifies EEU Customs Privileges Extension
-
09:10Roads are Mainly Open in the Republic of Armenia
-
00:14The Statement by the Foreign Ministry of Armenia on the ECHR Ruling on ''Makuchyan and Minasyan vs Azerbaijan and Hungary'' Case
-
21:59Armenia's President Sent a Congratulatory Message to Salome Zurabishvili
-
21:40Armenia’s PM: We Are Dealing with Second Wave of Coronavirus
-
20:12PM Calls for Tougher Sanctions Against Those Who Neglect the Preventive Rules
-
19:02Artsakh President Has Appointed a Number of Ministers
-
18:43Lavrov: Armenia, Russia Have Very Close Military Cooperation
-
17:59President of Artsakh Signed Several Decrees
-
17:06President of Artsakh Convoked a Consultation on the Upcoming Harvest Activities
day
week
month
-
18:25Ara Darzi, Outstanding Surgeon, the First Armenian in the House of Lords
-
23:28Scarecrow Society: Kim Kardashian Responded to Turkish User's Comment on Armenian Genocide
-
10:29Seerpoohi Elias: Armenian Woman and the First Chief Justice of New Zealand
-
12:03The "Koltso" operation of deportation of Armenian villages of Artsakh
-
13:33Armenian Values and Upbringing Always Helped Me: Paul Ignatius, Former US Navy Minister
-
12:42Trump Nominates Patrick Hovakimian as National Intelligence General Counsel
-
23:22Armenians Caused the Coronavirus to Plague Us: Garo Paylan Raised the Issue of Attack on Armenian Church in Turkey
-
16:17David Tukhmanov, Armenian, Author of the Best Victory Day Song
-
23:22How Can the Armenian Genocide Be Forgotten? Russian TV Journalist to Ukrainian Politician
-
18:48Azerbaijan Informed neither Armenia, nor International Organizations about the Military Exercises: RA Defense Ministry Spokesperson
Humidity: 48%
Wind: 4 km/h