Trump Talks Bilateral Relations With Turkish President Erdogan in Phone Call

U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Jan. 20, which the Turkish government said centered on bilateral relations and regional issues.

Trump told reporters before departing for Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 20 that it was “a very good call” but did not provide details on what was discussed.

The Turkish Directorate of Communications stated in a post on X that the leaders discussed U.S.–Turkey bilateral ties and exchanged views on regional and global developments.

Erdogan told the U.S. president that Turkey is closely following the situation in Syria and underscored that “a developed, terror-free, and peaceful” Syria is important to regional stability, the directorate stated.

They also discussed efforts to combat the ISIS terrorist group and the situation regarding ISIS members in Syrian prisons, according to the directorate.

Erdogan is among the world leaders invited by Trump to join the U.S.-led Board of Peace, which is part of phase two of his 20-point plan aimed at ending the war between Israeli forces and the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza.

The Turkish leader thanked Trump for inviting him to be part of the board, saying that his government “will continue to act in coordination” with the United States on achieving peace in Gaza.

The board, chaired by Trump, will oversee the Gaza Strip’s reconstruction and economic recovery, as well as a Palestinian technocratic committee tasked with governing the enclave during the transition period.

Turkish communications director Burhanettin Duran said in a Jan. 17 post on X that Erdogan had been invited to join the board as a “founding member.”

The phone call came slightly more than a week after the U.S. military and partner forces carried out airstrikes on ISIS targets throughout Syria on Jan. 10.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that the operation was intended “to root out Islamic terrorism against our warfighters, prevent future attacks, and protect American and partner forces in the region.”

The Jan. 10 strikes were part of a retaliatory bombing that began after two U.S. soldiers and a U.S. civilian interpreter were killed in an ambush attack in Palmyra, Syria, on Dec. 13, 2025.

Three more U.S. troops were injured in the attack. ISIS claimed responsibility for the Dec. 13 shooting, and the Syrian Interior Ministry stated that the suspect was a member of Syrian security forces who harbored ISIS sympathies.

The ministry later arrested five more suspects in connection with the attack.

Ryan Morgan contributed to this report.