Erdoğan and Trump to meet at G-20 summit in Japan
Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed in a phone call on Wednesday to meet on the sidelines of a G-20 meeting set for June 28-29 in Japan, the Turkish Presidency's communications director said. Fahrettin Altun said on Twitter on Wednesday that Erdoğan, on the call, reiterated to Trump Turkey's offer to form a working group on its planned purchase of a Russian S-400 missile defence system.
- World
- AP
- Published Date: 07:54 | 29 May 2019
- Modified Date: 07:54 | 29 May 2019
A senior Turkish official says President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Donald Trump have agreed to meet on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Japan being held June 28-29.
In a tweet Wednesday, Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun also said the president reiterated Turkey's offer for a joint group to overcome an impasse with the U.S. on Turkey's pledge to buy Russian-made S-400 missiles.
U.S. officials say the S-400s would pose a risk to Turkey's F-35 fighter jet program and warned Ankara it risked being kicked out of the F-35 program and could face U.S. sanctions.
Erdoğan also welcomed the U.S. decision this month to drop additional tariffs on Turkish steel. Trump had doubled the tariffs to 50% in August amid a diplomatic spat over the imprisonment of an American pastor.