Erdogan in Moscow for talks with Putin on Syria ‘safe zone’

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan are meeting for Syria talks in Moscow, with Turkey saying it would focus on Ankara’s so-called “security zone” in northern Syria.

Russia and Turkey have agreed to coordinate ground operations in Syria following US President Donald Trump’s shock announcement last month about pulling 2,000 American troops out of Syria.

At the start of their meeting in the Kremlin, Putin addresses Erdogan as “dear friend,” saying that their countries “work on issues of regional security and actively cooperate on Syria.”

Erdogan uses the same term for Putin in translated comments, saying “our solidarity makes a weighty contribution to the security of the region.”

The leaders are set to give a press conference after their talks.

— AFP