U.S. President Donald Trump is considering a stop in Turkey as part of his upcoming tour of the Middle East scheduled for next month, according to a report by CNN’s Arabic service.
Citing a senior White House official and two individuals familiar with the matter, CNN noted that Turkey may be added to an itinerary that already includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
While the idea is under serious consideration, sources emphasized that a final decision has not yet been made and planning is still ongoing. A senior official from the White House told CNN that Trump spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by phone recently, during which the potential visit was discussed. he sources also mentioned that Trump is not expected to include Israel in this particular trip.
The U.S. president has previously highlighted his rapport with Erdoğan.
“I have a very, very good relationship with Turkey and with their leader,” Trump said earlier this week during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
He went on to describe Erdoğan as “a tough guy, and he’s very smart, and he did what no one else could do,” referencing claims that “it was Turkey” behind the ousting of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.
Should the visit go ahead, it would mark Trump’s first presidential trip to Turkey. Former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama both visited the country during their terms, in 2004 and in 2009 and 2015 respectively.
