Trump congratulates Erdogan on election victory

ANKARA: US President Donald Trump congratulated his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his success in Sunday’s presidential and parliamentary elections in a phone call, according to Turkey's presidential press office on Tuesday.

The sources said Erdogan and Trump confirmed joint commitment on the development of bilateral cooperation on defense and military.

Erdogan won an absolute majority in the presidential poll with 52.5 percent of the vote, while his main rival Muharrem Ince gathered 30.6 percent.

The two leaders also stressed on the importance of executing Manbij roadmap and continuation of the joint fight against terrorism.

The Manbij roadmap was announced after a June 4 meeting in Washington between Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The deal focuses on the withdrawal of the PKK-affiliated YPG terror group from Manbij and on stability in the region.