Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday his country would not accept Syrian Kurdish fighters in the region but stopped short of directly criticizing a U.S. decision to arm them.
At a White House meeting, Trump lauded Erdogan as an important ally in the “fight against terrorism” and did not mention Erdogan’s domestic crackdown after last year’s failed coup attempt.
“We’ve had a great relationship and we will make it even better,” Trump said in their joint appearance.
Erdogan said his visit would “mark a historical turn of tide” and hailed “outstanding relations” between the nations.
It was an especially positive tone considering the tensions over Washington’s decision to arm the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia that Ankara regards as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
Protesters and police later clashed at the Turkish ambassador’s residence while Erdogan was inside, NBC television’s local affiliate reported. The station quoted a fire department spokesman as saying that 10 people were taken to hospital, one with serious injuries. Washington police and fire spokesmen were not immediately available to comment.