Biden, Erdoğan have first phone call since inauguration

Photo: AA/File

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US President Joe Biden has had the first phone call with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan since his inauguration in January.

Biden conveyed Erdoğan his interest in a constructive bilateral relationship with expanded areas of cooperation and effective management of disagreements, according to a press release by the White House.

The leaders agreed to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in June to discuss, it said.

On his part, Erdoğan called on Biden to end the US support for the People's Protection Units (PYD), a Syrian Kurdish group that Turkey considers a "terrorist organization," according to a statement by the Presidency.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported Biden told Erdoğan that he will recognize the Armenian Genocide tomorrow (April 24), citing people familiar with the phone conversation.

It was previously reported in the US media that Biden would become the first US president to use the workd "genocide" in his speech on the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.

Previous presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump had referred to the genocide as "Meds Yeghern," which means "the great calamity" in Armenian. (EKN/VK)