President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) with President Donald Trump. Photo: Turkish presidency / Murat Cetinmuhurdar / Anadolu Agency/Getty Images.
Days after announcing the U.S. would exit Syria, President Trump tweeted:
I just had a long and productive call with President @RT_Erdogan of Turkey. We discussed ISIS, our mutual involvement in Syria, & the slow & highly coordinated pullout of U.S. troops from the area. After many years they are coming home. We also discussed heavily expanded Trade.
Why it matters: Turkey is also the country that was most active in sharing information about the Saudi killing of Jamal Khashoggi. Unlike other world leaders, Erdogan has not publicly commented on the U.S.'s exit, but has said Turkey will continue to bring peace in Syria. Though the U.S. has fought next to the Kurdish militia in Syria, Turkey sees them as a terrorist group.
Go deeper: