Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a speech in Ankara, Turkey, on May 18, 2022. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)
ANKARA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone conversation with U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday, discussing the agenda of the upcoming NATO summit, Turkey's presidency said.
The two leaders also discussed bilateral issues and some regional matters, according to a statement from the Turkish presidency.
U.S. President Joe Biden (R) speaks during an event on reducing high-speed internet costs, at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on May 9, 2022. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)
Speaking to a press conference before departing for the summit in Madrid, Spain's capital, Erdogan said he would hold a meeting with Biden on the sidelines, and would discuss the U.S. military "support" to Syria's Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria, a group outlawed by Turkey.
"What did NATO do after all these arms were delivered to these terrorists? Truckloads of weapons came from the United States. I will raise it once again in our meeting," Erdogan told reporters.
Another issue of their talks in Madrid will be Turkey's demand to purchase 40 new F-16 warplanes and 80 modernization kits for its exiting fleets, he said. ■