Most notably Syria. Erdogan is in Washington to discuss thorny files and respond to Trump's "inappropriate" message

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to visit the United States on Tuesday, where he will discuss with his counterpart Donald Trump a number of files, including the north of Syria and the fight against terrorism, as well as military issues, including the Russian missile deal S400. Erdogan is also expected to respond face-to-face to Trump's letter to the Turkish president, which he described as inappropriate.

Erdogan told a news conference at Ankara airport that the United States and Russia had not succeeded in fulfilling their pledges to remove the so-called terrorists from some parts of the safe area in northern Syria covered by the agreements concluded by Turkey with the two countries.

He told the press conference that he would discuss the issue of northern Syria with the Russian president by phone upon his return. "Neither Russia nor the United States could remove the terrorist groups within the agreed timetable," he said.

Trump is scheduled to meet privately with Erdogan at the White House, later chairing a meeting between the two countries' delegations.

Ankara signed a deal with Washington on October 17 last year to stop the Turkish military operation in northern Syria in return for a US pledge to keep the SDF fighters from the Syrian-Turkish border in the east of the Euphrates at a depth of 32 km.

It concluded another agreement with Russia on October 22, under which the latter pledged to remove the YPG (backbone of the SDF) from other areas in northeastern Syria in coordination with the Syrian regime army and to conduct joint Russian-Turkish patrols inside northern Syria.

Prickly files
In addition to the Syrian dossier, Erdogan will discuss other files that have been at odds with the US administration in recent years, including the prosecution of the leader of the service organization Fethullah Gulen, who is based there, an organization that Ankara classifies as a terrorist organization.

The two presidents will discuss trade and military relations between their two countries, led by the purchase of Turkey's Russian missile defense organization S-400, and Ankara's participation in the manufacture of US F-35 fighter planes.

Among the sensitive issues Erdogan will also discuss with Trump is Washington's invitation to the leader of the "Syrian Democratic Forces" Mazloum Kobani to visit the United States. .

Trump's message
Erdogan plans to return a letter sent to him by Trump on October 9, which sparked controversy over its content, which went outside the diplomatic language of correspondence between heads of state. Syrian Democratic Forces.

Erdogan plans to respond to Trump's message verbally while meeting him face to face.
The Turkish president said that there is an agreement with Washington to develop relations between the two countries, adding, "Combating terrorism is a priority, we want to start a new phase on issues that concern the security of the two countries."

He also pointed to a goal set with his US counterpart to raise the value of trade exchange between the two sides to 100 billion dollars.

The Turkish President stressed the importance of the meeting, which will be organized by the American Chamber of Commerce, in the presence of businessmen from both countries, in strengthening the existing trade relations between the two parties.