Iran press/Asia: Donald Trump reportedly penned the warnings in a letter to Recep Tayyip Erdogan dated Oct. 9 in an effort to persuade the Turkish leader not to start a military offensive in Syria, reported Bloomberg.
Turkey sent troops across the border to push back American-backed Kurdish fighters on the same day, and the operation was its response to Trump’s letter, according to Gulnur Aybet, an aide to Erdogan.
Erdogan’s remarks on Friday are his first public reaction to the widely ridiculed letter. They come a day after he reached a deal with US Vice President Mike Pence in Ankara to halt Turkey’s offensive for 120 hours to allow the withdrawal of Kurdish fighters that Ankara considers a terrorist threat.
Erdogan said he was withholding a response at the moment.
“We don’t see this issue as our priority today,” he told the press in Istanbul. But, “it should be known that when the time comes, necessary action will be taken regarding this issue.”
Erdogan is expected to meet Trump in Washington on Nov. 13.
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