Erdogan starts official visit to Washington

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has started his two-day official visit to Washington where he will hold a meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Erdogan reiterated that his meeting with Trump tomorrow would be decisive for the future of bilateral ties. "If we are strategic allies, both sides should act the part. If the alliance is to weaken, we need to take steps to take care of ourselves. We cannot allow this alliance to harm Turkey's interest. I need to emphasize this fact," the Sabah newspaper cited him as saying.

Erdogan’s visit is framed by intensifying disputes over the role of Syrian Kurds in the campaign against the ISIS.

On May 9, the US announced that it would provide heavy arms to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The SDF is dominated by members of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which in turn is Syrian sister organization to the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), which is on the US terrorist list.