“Don’t be a fool” – Trump’s extraordinary letter to Erdogan

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 17, ARMENPRESS. US President Donald Trump warned his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “don’t be a fool” and said history risked branding him a “devil” in an extraordinary letter sent the day Turkeylaunched its offensiveinto north-eastern Syria.

The letter, first obtained by a Fox Business reporters, has made international headlines.

“Let’s work out a good deal!” Trump wrote in the letter dated 9 October, whose authenticity was confirmed to various news outlets by the White House, according to the Guardian.

“You don’t want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of people, and I don’t want to be responsible for destroying the Turkish economy – and I will,” he wrote.

“History will look upon you favorably if you get this done the right and humane way,” Trump continued. “It will look upon you forever as the devil if good things don’t happen.”

“Don’t be a tough guy. Don’t be a fool!” he finished, adding: “I will call you later.”

Turkish news media are in turn reporting that Erdogan has thrown the letter into the trash can.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan