Turkey does not tend to increase its military contingent in Afghanistan, Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in the course of his visit to the U.S. Dec. 6, Washington Post reports.

“Turkey has already voluntarily increased the number of servicemen from 700 to 1750,” said Erdogan.

According to him, Turkish soldiers do not participate in military operations in that country. He outlined that Ankara maintained lasting resistance to Washington’s permanent pressure.

Meanwhile, Erdogan expressed Turkey’s readiness to conduct military training for Afghan armed forces and police officers.

He stated that despite the refusal to increase its military presence in Afghanistan, Turkey does not rule out the possibility of medical care growth to the region, as well as infrastructure restoration and raise of Afghani people education level, Associated Press informs.

Regional issues, including the developments in Iraq and Middle East will be discussed at the meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama, Ergodan noted.