Bolton in Turkey for Talks on Syria Pullout

Local Editor

US Donald Trump’s National Security advisor John Bolton will meet with Ankara officials on Tuesday to discuss the surprise withdrawal of US troops from Syria, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed the pullout as "the right call".

As both sides prepared for the talks in Ankara, Erdogan said Turkey was "the only country with the power and commitment" to stabilize Syria after the US pullout, in an opinion column published in the New York Times Tuesday.

"President Trump made the right call to withdraw from Syria," he added, outlining Turkey's "comprehensive strategy" to eliminate the causes of radicalization in the war-torn country.

Bolton is due to discuss with Turkish officials how the planned withdrawal would take place, Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said last week.

He will be joined during his visit by General Joseph Dunford, the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the anti-Daesh [the Arabic acronym for terrorist ‘ISIS/ISIL’ group] envoy James Jeffrey.

When Trump first announced the pullout of 2,000 ground troops on December 19, Ankara was a lonely voice among NATO allies welcoming the decision.

Erdogan previously promised Trump that Turkey could finish off the remnants of Daesh in Syria.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team