Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said that "fight against terrorism should not be lead with another terror organization." | Getty Trump to meet Turkey's Erdogan next Tuesday

President Donald Trump's first face-to-face meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan since taking office will take place next Tuesday at the White House, the administration announced Wednesday.

"The two leaders will discuss how to further strengthen our bilateral relationship and deepen our cooperation to confront terrorism in all its forms," the White House office of the press secretary said in a statement, officially announcing the May 16 gathering.


The news comes a day after Trump gave the Pentagon authorization to arm Kurdish militias in Syria as part of a renewed push to drive the Islamic State out of the pivotal city of Raqqa, despite the strong opposition of Erdogan and the Turkish government. The Turkish leader called on the White House to reverse its decision ahead of their planned meeting next week, according to the Associated Press.

The Kurdish fighters have faced opposition from Turkey in part due to their alignment with the People’s Protection Units, which Turkey considers an extension of the Kurdish Workers’ Party, labeled a terrorist group by the NATO ally.

Global Translations A new podcast series from POLITICO. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Erdogan, speaking at a joint press conference with the president of Sierra Leone, said that "fight against terrorism should not be lead with another terror organization."

"We want to know that our allies will side with us, and not with terror organizations," Erdogan added.

In a statement Tuesday a Trump administration spokesman called the Turkish militias and the U.S. coalition forces "the only force on the ground that can successfully seize Raqqa in the near future.”

President Trump in the past has praised the Turkish leader, congratulating him on his controversial April victory in a Turkish election referendum marred by claims of voting irregularities. That triumph bestowed Erdogan with sweeping new executive powers, alarming those who fear he's leading Turkey toward a dictatorship.