Erdogan, Trump discuss Syria, economic ties over phone

By Ahmet Salih Alacaci </p> <p>ANKARA (AA) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed Washington’s planned troop withdrawal from Syria in a phone call late Thursday.</p> <p>The two leaders also reiterated their countries’ determination to fight all forms of terrorism, according to Turkish presidential sources.</p> <p>They agreed that the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria should be carried out in line with common interests, stressing the need to support the political process in the war-torn country. </p> <p>They also agreed to further enhance economic relations, setting a goal of $75 billion for trade between the two countries. </p> <p>Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in early 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.</p> <p>In December, Trump made a surprise announcement that the U.S. would be withdrawing all of its troops from Syria and said Daesh had been defeated in the country.