Sanctions on Turkey no longer necessary: Trump

Washington, October 18

President Donald Trump has said that America’s proposed economic sanctions on Ankara are no longer necessary after the US and Turkey struck a deal for a five-day ceasefire in Syria.

As per the deal announced by Vice President Mike Pence in Ankara on Thursday, Turkey will suspend its operations for 120 hours to allow Kurdish fighters to withdraw from a designated safe zone along the Turkish and Syrian border.

Protesting Turkey’s military offensive in northeast Syria, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday had signed an executive order to slap sanctions against Turkish officials, raising of steel tariffs and ending negotiations on a USD 100 billion trade deal.

“Sanctions won’t be necessary because Turkey is doing what they’re doing,” Trump told reporters on Thursday as he congratulated his Turkish counterpart President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for reaching a deal with the United States.

“He’s a friend of mine and I’m glad we didn’t have a problem because frankly, he’s a hell of a leader and he’s a tough man. He’s a strong man. He did the right thing. And I really appreciate it. And I will appreciate it in the future,” Trump said, describing the cease fire as a great news.

Terming it as an incredible outcome, Trump said Turkey had a legitimate problem on the 22 mile (34 km) strip for many years.

“They had terrorists, they had a lot of people in there that they couldn’t have. They’ve suffered a lot of loss of lives also. They had to have it cleaned out,” he said. PTI