UPDATE 2-Trump, Erdogan discuss northern Syria -Turkish presidency
Turkish and U.S. forces began joint patrols on Thursday in the Manbij region, a source of friction in recent years after Kurdish forces took part of the area in a U.S.-backed offensive to drive out Islamic State in 2016.
"Our President and U.S. President Trump stressed their determination to take constructive steps towards strengthening U.S.-Turkey bilateral relations further," the statement said, while also referring to developments in Syria's Idlib region.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders confirmed the call, saying the two leaders discussed a desire to work together, especially regarding Syria.
Turkey, which has long backed rebels seeking to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Russia, Assad's principal foreign ally, brokered a deal in September to create a demilitarised zone in Idlib.
U.S.-Turkish relations have been strained by disputes over Syria, Iran and Ankara's planned purchase of Russian military equipment. Prospects of improving ties rose last month after a Turkish court freed a U.S. pastor from two years of detention. (Reporting by Tulay Karadeniz and Ezgi Erkoyun; Additional reporting by Jeff Mason in Washington; Writing by Sarah Dadouch and Makini Brice; Editing by Richard Balmforth and James Dalgleish)
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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