Trump congratulates Erdogan on election win

Speaking over the phone, Erdogan and Trump stressed commitment to the Turkish-US "strategic partnership," especially in defence and military relations.

The two leaders also stressed the importance of executing the Manbij roadmap and continuation of the joint fight against terrorism.
AA Archive

The two leaders also stressed the importance of executing the Manbij roadmap and continuation of the joint fight against terrorism.

US President Donald Trump congratulated his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his success in Sunday’s presidential and parliamentary elections, according to Turkey's presidential press office on Tuesday.

Speaking on the phone, Erdogan and Trump confirmed joint commitment on the development of bilateral cooperation on defence and military, sources said.

Erdogan was voted into an executive presidency, garnering more than half of the country's votes June 24 elections. 

The two leaders also stressed on the importance of executing Manbij roadmap and continuation of the joint fight against terrorism.

The Manbij roadmap was announced after a June 4 meeting in Washington between Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The deal focuses on the withdrawal of the PKK-affiliated YPG terror group from Manbij and on stability in the region. 

US support for the YPG has been a major bone of contention between Ankara and Washington in recent months. 

The PKK has been waging a decades-long terror campaign in Turkey that has claimed the lives of some 40,000 people.

The Manbij deal is meant to allay Turkey's concerns and diffuse tensions between the two NATO allies. 

F-35 deal

But while Trump and Erdogan spoke of cooperation in their phone call, a top US State Department official did not sound too conciliatory.

Wess Mitchell, US assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, warned Turkey on Tuesday that its purchase of Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets would be jeopardised if it does not drop a plan to buy S-400 missile defence systems from Russia.

"We've also been very clear that across the board, an acquisition of S-400 will inevitably affect the prospects for Turkish military-industrial cooperation with the United States, including F-35," Mitchell told a Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing on US relations with Europe.

In 2014, Turkey placed an order for the first two F-35 jets for the projected fleet of 100 F-35A aircraft and plans to deploy the aircraft by 2019.

It took delivery of those two jets at a ceremony in Texas last week.

But various pieces of legislation have been making their way through US Congress that could block the transfer of the rest of jets to Turkey over its plan to purchase the Russian system.

Mitchell said if it buys the system, Turkey would also be subject to sanctions under a bill President Donald Trump signed into law last summer.

That sweeping sanctions law, known as CAATSA (Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act), seeks to punish companies that do business with Russia's defence industry.

Route 6