Trump, Erdogan put best face on ties amid tensions

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told US President Donald Trump on Tuesday his country would not accept Syrian Kurdish fighters in the region but stopped short of directly criticising a US decision to arm them. At a White House meeting, Trump lauded Erdogan as an important ally in the "fight against terrorism" and did not mention Erdogan's domestic crackdown after last year's failed coup attempt. "We've had a great relationship and we will make it even better," Trump said in their joint appearance. Erdogan said his visit would "mark a historical turn of tide" and hailed "outstanding relations" between the nations. It was an especially positive tone considering the tensions over Washington's decision to arm the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia that Ankara regards as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).Fighting erupted among protesters outside the Turkish ambassador's residence, resulting in multiple injuries and two arrests - one for aggravated assault and one for assault on a police officer, a city police spokesman said. The spokesman, officer Hugh Carew, said the origin of the melee was still under investigation. A local NBC television affiliate reported Erdogan was inside the building at the time. The administration of Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, had criticised Erdogan's crackdown on the Turkish press and academia after the failed coup in July 2016. Tens of thousands of Turkish citizens have since been detained and some Erdogan supporters sought to blame the United States for the coup attempt.

Today Turkish President Erdogan's goons beat the shit out of American protestors in Washington, DC. We cannot allow this to stand. https://t.co/h7JAhSQl5L

— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) May 17, 2017

On Tuesday, Trump made no mention of Erdogan's record on dissent and free speech. Erdogan's visit was further complicated by Turkey's calls for the United States to extradite Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania. Erdogan blames Gulen supporters for the attempted coup. Gulen has denied involvement.

NEW Doc: Trump Makes His Furniture in Turkey: Below is the press release on how excited he was to take jobs from USA.#Erdogan #TrumpRussia pic.twitter.com/k9ARtIO6Ws— Scott Dworkin (@funder) May 16, 2017

Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said in a statement the two leaders discussed "possible steps against FETO," referring to what Ankara calls the "Gulenist Terror Organisation," a term it uses to describe Gulen's network. Kalin did not specify exactly what steps they discussed. Turkey also has raised concerns about a US criminal case against Reza Zarrab, a dual Turkish-Iranian national, arrested last year and charged with helping Iran process millions of dollar in transactions that violated US sanctions against Tehran.