The U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday made statements regarding his foreign agenda during a press conference held at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.
Recalling that he avoided wars during his previous presidency, Trump highlighted Türkiye's importance in his remarks about whether he would withdraw American troops from Syria and the ongoing situation in the country.
Trump, who stated that during his first term, he defeated the terrorist organization Daesh/ISIS in Syria and withdrew most of the U.S. troops, pointed to the significance of Ankara in response to questions about the current situation.
When asked about whether he would withdraw the approximately 2,000 American soldiers in Syria, Trump responded, "I'm not going to tell you because it's part of a military strategy. However, I can tell you that this is a situation related to Türkiye."
Emphasizing Türkiye's importance on issues related to Syria, Trump said, "President Erdoğan is my friend and someone I respect. I believe he respects me as well."
