Turkish official: Trump to visit in 2019

A Turkish official reportedly said Monday that President Trump has accepted an invitation from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to visit the country next year.

Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told reporters that a date has not yet been set but that Trump wants to visit Turkey in 2019, The Associated Press reported.

{mosads}Trump and Erdoğan spoke during a phone call over the weekend, discussing the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria, when Erdoğan extended the invitation. 

Trump acknowledged the call on Sunday, writing on Twitter that he and Erdoğan had a “long and productive” call about “the slow & highly coordinated” pullout of U.S. troops from Syria. 

The president also said early Monday that Erdoğan “has very strongly informed” him that Turkey will “eradicate whatever is left of ISIS in Syria” after the U.S. withdraws its troops.

Trump last week announced that the U.S. would withdraw its roughly 2,000 troops from Syria, a decision that has sparked bipartisan backlash from U.S. lawmakers and prompted the resignation of Defense Secretary James Mattis.

Trump announced the decision after a Dec. 14 call with Erdoğan.