Trump, Erdogan Hold Talks on Syria Ceasefire and Gaza ‘Board of Peace’
WASHINGTON/ANKARA — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed developments in Syria and Gaza with U.S. President Donald Trump during a telephone conversation on Tuesday, as Syria’s Turkiye-backed government announced a ceasefire with U.S.-allied Kurdish forces following several days of clashes.
The Turkish presidency said President Erdogan told Trump that Ankara was closely monitoring the situation in Syria and stressed that the country’s unity, harmony and territorial integrity were of key importance to Turkiye.
Earlier, President Trump described the call as “very good” but did not provide further details.
The discussion came as Syria’s government moved to seize large areas of territory in the northeast this week and gave the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) four days to agree to integration into the central state. The United States, the SDF’s principal ally, has said its partnership with the group has shifted in nature following the emergence of Syria’s new government.
According to the Turkish presidency, Erdogan and Trump also exchanged views on efforts to combat the Islamic State militant group and the status of its prisoners held in Syrian detention facilities.
Turkiye considers the SDF a terrorist organization due to its links with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a four-decade insurgency against the Turkish state. As part of its peace process with the PKK, Ankara has called on the group and its affiliates to disband and lay down their arms.
Ankara, the main foreign supporter of Syria’s new authorities, has welcomed Damascus’ advances against the SDF and has repeatedly urged the group to integrate into Syria’s state institutions.
The Turkish presidency said Erdogan also reaffirmed that Turkiye would continue to coordinate with Washington on Gaza and thanked Trump for inviting him to join the U.S.-led “Board of Peace” initiative.
A United Nations Security Council resolution adopted in mid-November authorized the establishment of the Board of Peace and allowed participating countries to set up an international stabilization force in Gaza. A fragile ceasefire began in Gaza in October under a Trump-backed plan accepted by Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Turkiye said earlier on Tuesday that Erdogan would decide soon whether to join the initiative. Ankara has strongly criticized Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, describing it as genocide, while Israel has consistently opposed any Turkish role in the territory.
Since the ceasefire began, more than 460 Palestinians — including over 100 children — and three Israeli soldiers have reportedly been killed.
Under Trump’s Gaza plan, the board was intended to oversee Gaza’s temporary governance, though Trump later said its mandate could be expanded to address conflicts worldwide. Rights experts have argued that such an arrangement could resemble a colonial structure, while diplomats have warned that a global role for the board could undermine the United Nations.
The White House has named several figures to the board, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former British prime minister Tony Blair, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
