Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses a NATO parliamentary assembly meeting in Istanbul, Monday, Nov. 21, 2016. (Kayhan Ozer, Presidential Press Service, Pool photo via AP)
US President Donald Trump promised his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday that the United States is committed to NATO, the White House said.
The comments came despite Trump’s past criticism of the transatlantic military alliance.
In a call with the Turkish leader, Trump spoke of the “close, longstanding relationship between the United States and Turkey and their shared commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms,” the White House said.
It added: “President Trump reiterated US support to Turkey as a strategic partner and NATO ally, and welcomed Turkey’s contributions to the counter-ISIS campaign,” referring to the Islamic State group.
US President Donald Trump speaks following a visit to the US Central Command and Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base on February 6, 2017 in Tampa, Florida. (AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN)
Erdogan had congratulated Trump by telephone after the November election, but this was the first time the two men spoke since the US president took office last month.
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