Turkey has no issue with Kurds: Erdogan

By Ozcan Yildirim

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey has no problem with Kurds and aims to fight terror groups threatening national security, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a phone call with his U.S. counterpart on Monday.

A statement from the Turkish presidency said Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the idea of a terror-free safe zone in Syria's northern region.

Turkey backs Trump's decision on the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria, Erdogan said, extending all kinds of support in this regard.

The two leaders agreed to advance bilateral economic relations.

The phone call came after Trump's tweet saying "[The US] Will devastate Turkey economically if they hit Kurds," conflating “Kurds” with the terrorist PKK/YPG, a confusion that Turkey has repeatedly criticized.