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Erdogan lauds Trump for 'sincere' efforts to fix ties with Turkey

The Turkish president received a warm welcome in Washington despite launching a military operation in northeast Syria that has upended US regional policy and defying NATO to acquire Russian weapons.
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Turkey's Pressident Tayyip Erdogan at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 13, 2019. REUTERS/Tom Brenner     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC2HAD9SK03C

ISTANBUL — President Donald Trump is “sincerely” trying to settle a litany of disputes between the United States and Turkey despite efforts by his political opponents to destroy the relationship, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday, a day after clinching a meeting with the American leader at the White House.

Although neither president said they had resolved their countries’ many differences after a 1.5-hour meeting on Wednesday, Trump’s warm welcome for Erdogan during a low point in Turkey’s ties with the United States still marked a diplomatic triumph for the Turkish leader. The meeting also coincided with the first day of televised hearings in a congressional impeachment inquiry against Trump.

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