Erdogan, Putin discuss Syrian city of Aleppo over phone

ANKARA

Turkish and Russian presidents on Wednesday had a phone conversation on the Syrian city of Aleppo, according to a presidential source.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin discussed the human tragedy in Aleppo and bilateral relations between Turkey and Russia, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

The two leaders told that the partial cease-fire agreement, which was agreed on Tuesday, should be carried into effect completely and the violations of the agreement prevented.

They also confirmed the decision to make joint efforts to start the evacuation of the civilians and the opposition from Aleppo as soon as possible.

Erdogan said that Turkey is ready to take all kind of measures about the temporary shelters and humanitarian aid following the opening of the necessary secure corridors.

On Tuesday evening, regime forces and opposition groups agreed to a Turkey-brokered cease-fire deal with a view to evacuating civilians from the eastern part of the city.

According to an Anadolu Agency reporter, at around 10.30 a.m. local time Wednesday, regime forces bombed several residential areas in opposition-held neighborhoods in eastern Aleppo.

Violence has recently escalated in the city as Syrian regime forces advanced into opposition-held parts of eastern Aleppo on Monday following a five-month siege and persistent aerial bombardment.

The Russia-backed Bashar al-Assad regime had been trying to reestablish control over parts of Aleppo captured four years ago by armed opposition groups.

Syria has been locked in a devastating civil war since early 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests – which had erupted as part of the Arab Spring uprisings – with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been killed by the conflict and millions more displaced.

Erdogan and Putin also talked about Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim's latest visit to Moscow, the steps to normalize the bilateral relations, and efforts to strengthen cooperation in all areas, especially in the energy sector.