Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks at Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Turkey, October 7, 2019. Mustafa Kamaci/Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will visit the United States on Nov. 13 at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump, a White House spokesman said on Tuesday.

Trump said Erdogan was visiting as his “guest” in a series of tweets earlier on Tuesday defending his decision this week to withdraw U.S. forces from northern Syria in a move critics said opens the way for Turkish attack on U.S.-allied Kurds.