Erdoğan, Macron discuss Sochi summit, Syrian crisis in phone call

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron discussed the ongoing Syrian crisis and bilateral relations in a phone call, presidential sources said Saturday.

President Erdoğan gave information about the trilateral Sochi summit carried out on November 22 with the participation of Turkey, Iran and Russia, underlining the importance of holding an independent and fair election in Syria.

Erdoğan and Macron affirmed commitment to Syria's territorial integrity, stressing that the region should be protected from other terrorist organizations after the defeat of Daesh.

During the phone call, the two leaders also agreed to strengthen bilateral relations in the areas of economy, energy and defense industry.

Turkey, Russia and Iran are the guarantor countries that brokered a cease-fire in Syria in December 2016, leading to the Astana talks, which are running parallel to the Geneva talks for peace in Syria. The three countries have carried out negotiations in the Kazakh capital since then and agreed on the formation of five de-escalation zones in Syria.

Syria has been locked in a deadly civil war since early 2011, after the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with brutality, leading to the death of thousands of people and to the displacement of more than 10 million others.