Erdoğan, Trump discuss Syria, bilateral ties in phone call

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump discussed bilateral ties and the latest developments in Syria, including the Manbij road map and Idlib, in a phone call on Thursday.

Erdoğan and Turmp reiterated their commitment to further constructive steps aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between Turkey and the U.S. The two leaders agreed to stay in close contact on bilateral and regional issues in days to come, according to a statement by the Turkish presidency.

During the call, Erdoğan once again condemned the recent attack on a synagogue in the U.S. city of Pittsburgh and conveyed his condolences to relatives of those who lost their lives and to the American public.

Turkish and U.S. military on Thursday started conducting joint patrols in northern Syria's Manbij in line with a deal between the two countries.

The Manbij patrols are part of a "road map" that Ankara and Washington agreed on in June to defuse tensions amid demands for the withdrawal of the U.S.-backed People's Protection Units (YPG) terrorists.

The Manbij deal focuses on the withdrawal of the PKK's Syrian offshoot, the YPG terrorist organization, from the district that is located west of the Euphrates river in order to establish stability in the region. Ankara has long been voicing that it will not allow a terror corridor along its borders and asking for an acceleration in the implementation of the Manbij deal with the U.S.