Trump says Erdogan has a 'great relationship with the Kurds'

Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
(Image credit: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

President Trump welcomed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the White House on Wednesday, and during a joint press conference praised the leader for his "great relationship with the Kurds."

Last month, Trump ordered a withdrawal of U.S. troops in Syria, paving the way for Turkey to launch a military assault against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. The SDF fought against the Islamic State, and took over land ISIS controlled near the Turkish border, which was too close for Erdogan's comfort — Turkey considers the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) a terrorist group, and the SDF an offshoot. Since the assault began last month, there have been several reports of Turkish-backed Arab fighters carrying out ethnic violence against Kurds in Syria.

During the press conference, Trump and Erdogan were asked by a reporter from Iraqi Kurdistan about the Kurds. Trump said that "many Kurds live currently in Turkey and they're happy and they're taken care of," while Erdogan declared he has "no problems with the Kurds, we have problems with terrorist organizations, and of course you're not going to own up to the terrorists, are you?"

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.