Erdogan, Putin to continue efforts on Aleppo ceasefire

Ankara: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have agreed to continue efforts to achieve a truce in Syria’s Aleppo, a statement said.

The two leaders in a phone call on Thursday discussed Turkish-Russia bilateral ties and the latest developments in Syria, Xinhua news agency reported.

Erdogan reiterated the importance of achieving ceasefire as soon as possible in Aleppo, a rebel-held city under a devastating siege.

The Operation Euphrates Shield was also one of the major topics of discussion, the Turkish presidency statement said.

“The importance of the fact that Turkey’s border with Syria is now completely free of the Islamic State militants was emphasised in the call.”

Meanwhile, the Kremlin also released a statement confirming the conversation between the two leaders.

The Turkish military launched the cross-border Operation Euphrates Shield on August 24 along with the US-led coalition in Syria’s northern border city of Jarablus to clear the area from the IS.

–IANS