Trump to meet Erdogan at UN next week

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - President Donald Trump will meet with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the United National General Assembly on Thursday, Trump's National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster confirmed Friday.

Trump's meeting with Erdogan will come on the same day that the American president meets with leaders of Afghanistan and Ukraine, McMaster told reporters at the White House.

Relations between Washington and Ankara have strained over U.S. strategy in Syria, and the continued presence in the U.S. of accused Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) ringleader Fetullah Gulen.

Ankara has sought Gulen's extradition in relation to the failed July 15, 2016 putsch that left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured as rogue military units led by alleged FETO officers attempted to seize power.

Turkey accuses Gulen of masterminding the bloody coup attempt.

He has lived in the U.S. since 1999.