Trump, Erdogan discuss Syria, trade in call – White House

US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone on Wednesday on a range of issues, including the humanitarian situation in Idlib, Syria and trade, the White House said on Thursday.

Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu news agency reported the call on Wednesday, saying the two leaders agreed to cooperate to protect civilians in the Idlib region.

Erdogan said Turkey’s deal with the United States to set up a “safe zone” in northeast Syria was a correct step and that Ankara would not let Washington delay the plan, CNN Turk reported on Thursday.

Ankara revealed last weekend that a joint operations center for the proposed zone along Syria’s northeastern border is now fully operational. Erdogan said this week Turkish ground troops would enter the planned safe zone “very soon.”