Erdogan, Putin discuss evacuation of civilians in Aleppo

By Enes Kaplan

ANKARA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday discussed the evacuation of civilians in the war-torn Syrian city of Aleppo on the phone, according to a presidential source.

According to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to media, the two leaders emphasized the disruptions in the evacuation process should be resolved urgently due to the fragile situation in Aleppo.

Erdogan and Putin pointed out that humanitarian aids should be reached and joint efforts should be intensified for a political solution.

In addition, the two leaders discussed the contacts they made with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev about bringing the representatives of the Syrian regime and opposition together in Kazakhstan in order to solve the long-standing crisis.

Earlier this week, Syrian opposition forces in eastern Aleppo reached a cease-fire deal with President Bashar al-Assad’s forces to evacuate civilians from the city.

Since then, at least 7,500 civilians have left Aleppo for safe areas in Idlib -- which is located near the border with Turkey -- according to Syrian opposition group officials.