U.S., Turkish leaders stress commitment to combatting terrorism

U.S. President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed Tuesday their shared commitment to combatting terrorism in all its forms, the White House said.

In a telephone call between the two leaders, Trump reiterated U.S. support for Turkey as a strategic partner and NATO ally, and welcomed Turkey's contributions to the campaign against the Islamic State (IS) group, the White House said in a statement.

The U.S.-Turkish relationship became strained near the end of the Obama Administration due to a row over the extradition of U.S.-based cleric Fetullah Gulen, whom Ankara has accused of being the mastermind of a failed coup attempt last July.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim urged Trump to extradite Gulen when congratulating him on winning the U.S. presidential election last November, noting "a new page" would be opened in bilateral ties if Gulen is extradited to Turkey.

On Tuesday, Trump also spoke by phone with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to reaffirm the strong bilateral partnership across a range of mutual interests.

Trump and Rajoy discussed shared priorities, including efforts to eliminate the IS, the White House said in a separate statement.

Trump reiterated the U.S. commitment to NATO and emphasized the importance of all NATO allies sharing the burden of defense spending. Endi