Putin, Erdoğan agree new measures needed to ease Syria tensions
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized in a phone call that their militaries need to better coordinate regarding Syria's Idlib region, the Kremlin said in written statement. "Both sides emphasized the necessity of undertaking additional measures to normalize the situation in north-western Syria," it added.
- World
- Reuters
- Published Date: 03:30 | 28 February 2020
- Modified Date: 03:30 | 28 February 2020
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan agreed during a phone call on Friday on the need for new measures to be put in place to ease tensions and normalise the situation in northwest Syria, the Kremlin said.
In a readout of the phone call, the Kremlin said Putin and Erdoğan agreed to organise a top-level meeting to address the situation in Syria's Idlib province that the presidents said was a matter of "serious concern".
The call came after more than 30 Turkish soldiers martyred in a strike by pro-Assad forces in Syria's northwestern Idlib region on Thursday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters that the talks had focused on implementing a 2018 ceasefire agreement agreed for Idlib -- the last rebel-held bastion in Syria's civil war.
"There is always room for dialogue. Today there were phone talks between presidents Putin and Erdoğan... The conversation was detailed and devoted to the necessity to do everything" to implement agreements on Idlib, said Lavrov.
- US senator says Turkey 'doing the right thing' in Idlib
- U.S. appeals court blocks Trump policy forcing migrants to wait in Mexico
- French police fire tear gas in clash with anti-Polanski protesters
- Iran rejects BBC report of 210 deaths from coronavirus
- UN chief calls for an immediate ceasefire in northwest Syria before situation 'entirely out of control'