President Donald Trump promised his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday that the United States is committed to NATO, the White House said, despite his past criticism of the transatlantic military alliance.

In a call with the Turkish leader, Trump spoke of the “close, longstanding relationship between the United States and Turkey and their shared commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms,” the White House said.

It added: “President Trump reiterated US support to Turkey as a strategic partner and NATO ally, and welcomed Turkey’s contributions to the counter-ISIS campaign,” referring to the Islamic State group.

Erdogan had congratulated Trump by telephone after the November election, but this was the first time the two men spoke since the US president took office last month.

Source: AFP