Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump agreed in a phone call on Thursday to carry out the US military withdrawal from Syria in line with their mutual interests, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency said.
During their phone call, President Erdogan and President Trump agreed that the US withdrawal from Syria should not damage the mutual goals of Ankara and Washington, Anadolu said.
The two leaders also discussed bilateral relations and the latest developments in Syria, Anadolu said, adding that the two agreed to support a political solution to the Syria conflict and reaffirmed “their common determination to combat all forms of terrorism.”
On December 19, President Trump announced that the US would withdraw its troops from Syria claiming that victory was achieved against ISIS. He did not set a timetable for the withdrawal, but US officials estimated that the process could continue until next March or April.
The Syrian Coalition earlier said that the establishment of a buffer zone in northern Syria comes within “the framework of supporting a political solution” as it stressed that the ultimate goal should be to ensure security throughout the country.
The Coalition stressed that the establishment of a buffer zone in northern Syria is necessary to act as a safe haven for civilians in Syria and to facilitate the return of refugees to the country. It pointed to the importance of coordination between Ankara and Washington to avoid the creation of vacuum in the areas from which the US will withdraw its troops and to prevent the terrorist groups and the Assad regime and its allies from trying to fill any possible vacuum. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
