Russia, Turkey presidents see eye to eye on Aleppo ceasefire

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, have agreed in a phone call on the urgent need for the establishment of a ceasefire in Syria’s violence-plagued northwestern city of Aleppo.

The conversation, which took place late Thursday, saw the two heads of state stressing the need for continued efforts to help bring about a cessation of hostilities in the city by the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice), which is due in less than two weeks, presidential sources said.

The Kremlin also released a statement, confirming the phone conversation.

The phone call comes as Syrian army forces, backed by the Russian air force, are gaining new ground south of Aleppo.

In a major blow to Takfiri groups on Thursday, Syrian soldiers liberated the militant-held district of Ramouseh, which served as a strategic corridor for the terrorists into other occupied districts of Aleppo.

Recently, though, Erdogan traveled to Russia, where he discussed the Syrian conflict with Putin, and called for a “clean slate” in the bilateral ties.

Last month, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu similarly said Ankara and Moscow were of similar opinions concerning the need for a ceasefire in Syria and the provision of humanitarian aid to the civilians affected by the conflict there.

During the phone conversation, Erdogan and Putin also agreed on the importance of ridding the Syrian border area of “terror organizations,” notably Daesh, the presidential sources said.

The two leaders also exchanged views on the recent Turkish incursion of Syria, which Ankara says is aimed at purging border areas of Daesh and Kurdish militants.

SS