Putin, Erdogan talk about Syrian leader's visit to Moscow

ANKARA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday regarding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's visit to Moscow Tuesday.

Putin provided details regarding Assad's visit, presidential sources said Wednesday.

Erdogan reportedly voiced his concern over a possible migration wave because of attacks aimed at Aleppo and neighboring areas.

The Turkish president also drew attention to the links between PYD (Kurdish Democratic Union Party), the YPG (People's Protection Units) -- who are fighting in Syria -- and the PKK terrorist organization.

Erdogan also underlined that Turkey attaches importance to the struggle with all terrorist organizations, including Daesh.

The two leaders agreed to discuss all these issues in a detailed manner when they meet at the G20 Leaders Summit, which will be held on Nov. 15-16 in Turkey's southern province of Antalya.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met late Tuesday his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

According to the Kremlin website, the Russian president said terrorism in the Middle East and the destabilization of the region represented a concern for many countries.

The meeting came after the U.S. and Russia signed an agreement Tuesday to "de-conflict" air operations above Syrian airspace.

Russia began carrying out airstrikes in Syria late last month. The strikes are aimed at supporting the Assad regime -- a Russian ally -- against Daesh, according to the Kremlin.

But Turkey and the West accuse Russia of targeting moderate Syrian groups opposed to Assad, many of which are supported by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the U.S. and Europe.

To avoid military conflicts in the region, the U.S. and Russian military officials on Oct. 1 began talks about air safety above Syria.

At least 250,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011, with 7.6 million internally displaced and more than 4 million having fled to nearby countries.