Update: Contrary to earlier reports, Erdogan will meet with Pence and Pompeo tomorrow:
NEW — Erdogan will meet VP Pence and Pompeo tomorrow, Erdogan’s Communication Director announces on twitter. https://t.co/4qGFxUx7z1
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) October 16, 2019
Original post:
Yesterday, Sen. Lindsey Graham warned Turkey to stay away from the Syrian city of Kobani:
I was part of a phone call yesterday between President Erdogan and President Trump where President Trump received a commitment from the President of Turkey to stay away from the Kobani area to prevent further escalation in Syria.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 15, 2019
If Turkey continues to move and take Kurdish areas around Kobani, I will take this as a breach of President Erdogan’s promise and a major escalation.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 15, 2019
I am certain Congress and the Administration will hold Erdogan personally responsible for any atrocities committed in and around Kobani.
My advice to Turkey is stop before you completely destroy the relationship between the United States and Turkey.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 15, 2019
Turkey, however, is advancing on Kobani right now according to Kurdish sources, confirmed to this journo by a “senior US official”:
Just in: Senior US official confirms what Kurdish sources have been telling me – that Turkey is advancing on the border town of Kobani, which Erdogan promised Trump he would not attack.
— Lara Seligman (@laraseligman) October 16, 2019
Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are on the way to Turkey, by President Erdogan said in a speech to parliament this morning that he will not meet with them:
Following his speech to parliament Turkey's President @RTErdogan told@AlexCrawfordSky he would not meet Pompeo, Pence and O'Brien in Ankara.
Erdoğan said his counterpart is President Trump.#BreakingNews— Güldenay Sonumut (@Guldenay007) October 16, 2019
Erdogan will only meet with President Trump:
BREAKING: President Erdogan tells @SkyNews @AlexCrawfordSky he will not be meeting US @VP or @SecPompeo when they travel to Turkey tomorrow. Instead they’ll be meeting their Turkish counterparts.
“When @realDonaldTrump comes here I will talk to him,” Turkey’s president said. https://t.co/dZMc3OIIJZ— Deborah Haynes (@haynesdeborah) October 16, 2019
Pence and Pompeo will instead meet with their Turkish counterparts:
Turkish leader President Erdogan tells @SkyNews exclusively he will NOT meet US delegation. He’ll only talk to Trump. Pompeo and Pence will meet their Turkish counterparts #turkey #syria
— Alex Crawford (@AlexCrawfordSky) October 16, 2019
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Editor’s note: This post has been updated.
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