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President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told a Sky News reporter after his party's parliamentary group meeting that he will not meet with US Vice-President Mike Pence, who will visit Turkey today (October 16).
When the reporter asked Erdoğan if he is concerned ahead of the US delegation's visit, he replied, "No, why should I be? I'm standing."
"I won't meet with them. They will meet with their counterparts. I will meet with Trump when he comes," the President told the reporter.
The US delegation will come to Turkey to convince Erdoğan to cease the military operation in northern Syria which began on October 9, following the withdrawal of the US troops.
"United States of America is simply not going to tolerate Turkey's invasion of Syria any longer. We call on Turkey to embrace a ceasefire, come to the negotiating table and end the violence," Pence said yesterday.
Turkey's president @RTErdogan tells @AlexCrawfordSky he will not speak with the US Vice President about a ceasefire in Syria during his visit - adding that he will only talk to President @realDonaldTrump.
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 16, 2019
Follow the latest world news here: https://t.co/l50mLoSc4w pic.twitter.com/o5NjsNzt2r
However, Washington did not accept Erdoğan's refusal. Katie Waldman, the spokesperson of Pence, said that the Vice-President will visit Turkey today to meet with Erdoğan.
US State Secretary Mike Pompeo, who will also come to Turkey today, told Fox Business that they expect to "have a conversation with him directly."
"At this point, the vice president and I are planning to take off later this afternoon and we have every expectation that we will meet with President Erdoğan," said Pompeo.
After these statements, Presidency Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said on Twitter that Erdoğan meant he will not meet with the US delegation today.
"He does plan to meet the U.S. delegation led by VP tomorrow — as confirmed in the below statement to the Turkish press," Altun noted.
Earlier today, the President told @SkyNews that he won't receive a U.S. delegation that is visiting Ankara today.
— Fahrettin Altun (@fahrettinaltun) October 16, 2019
He does plan to meet the U.S. delegation led by @VP tomorrow — as confirmed in the below statement to the Turkish press. pic.twitter.com/vlqgzqnvEk
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump's National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien and Special Representative for Syria James Jeffrey have begun their meetings in the capital Ankara. (PT/VK)
