Erdogan reveals he "no longer talks to Obama"

Source: Tanjug

ANKARA -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he has stopped talking to U.S. President Barack Obama on the phone.

(Beta/AP, file)

This comes "amid growing strains between Ankara and Washington over Syria and the Gaza conflict," according to an AFP report.
Turkey is an open supporter of "armed rebel fighters in Syria" and "felt betrayed when the United States backed away from military action against Damascus in September," the agency said.

"In the past, I was calling him directly. Because I can't get the expected results on Syria, our foreign ministers are now talking to each other. And I have talked to Biden. He calls me and I call him," Erdogan told the pro-government ATV channel.

"I expect justice in this process. I couldn't imagine something like this from those who are championing justice," Erdogan "added without elaborating," AFP reported, noting the statement was "an apparent jibe at Washington."

The last phone conversation between the two leaders took place on February 20 after which the White House released a statement accusing Erdogan of misrepresenting the content of the conversation.

Erdogan has openly criticized Israel's offensive against the Gaza Strip, referring to it as "state terrorism and genocide," and accusing the United States for defending Israel's "disproportionate measures."