RFE
24 Aug 2019, 01:15 GMT+10
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to make a one-day official visit to Moscow on August 27 for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
Erdogan's office announced the planned visit on August 23 after he and Putin spoke by telephone about developments in northwestern Syria.
Erdogan's office said he told Putin that a Moscow-backed offensive by forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was causing a humanitarian crisis and posed a threat to Turkey's national security.
The Kremlin said Putin and Erdogan agreed during the phone conversation to 'activate mutual efforts' to ease the situation in Idlib Province where the surge of violence has forced tens of thousands of people to flee in recent days.
Turkey already has taken in more than 3.6 million refugees from Syria since the conflict began there in March 2011.
Since late April, Syria's government and Russia's military have been bombarding Idlib Province -- the last bastion for forces opposed to Assad's regime.
Russia and Turkey support opposing sides in Syria's conflict.
Russia helped reverse the course of the war in Assad's favor when it launched a campaign of air strikes against the Syrian president's opponents and increased its military presence on the ground in Syria in 2015.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP
Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Republished with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036
Get a daily dose of San Francisco Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to San Francisco Star.
More InformationWASHINGTON, D.C. A public fight between U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk has taken over social media, especially...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stock markets rose Tuesday as investors and traders anticipated a positive outcome from ongoing trade talks...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: At a Walmart Supercenter in New Jersey, buttercream borders and edible-ink cartoons aren't just about sweet...
NEW YORK, New York - Wall Street delivered a split performance on Monday, with the Nasdaq Composite notching up gains while the Dow...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Luxury group Kering is in exclusive discussions to sell a stake in its prime New York real estate asset on...
CINCINNATI, Ohio: Facing global economic headwinds and mounting tariff pressures, Procter & Gamble announced plans this week to cut...
WASHINGTON, D.C. A public fight between U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk has taken over social media, especially...
DERA BAJWA, Pakistan: Amir Ali, a 21-year-old man from Pakistan, dreamed of going to Europe for a better life. He was promised a visa...
TOKYO, Japan: Japan's hopes for a foothold in commercial lunar exploration suffered a second blow this week after Tokyo-based startup...
MOSCOW, Russia: Russia's principal security agency, the Federal Security Service (FSB), has accused British intelligence of using the...
SYDNEY, Australia: Australia will not ease its strict biosecurity rules during trade talks with the United States, Prime Minister Anthony...
The Israeli Navy has intercepted a ship carrying humanitarian aid and a number of activists including Greta Thunberg, Rima Hassan,...