Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the Russian city of Sochi on Monday, sources said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said earlier that Erdoğan and Putin would hold talks on the crisis in Syria on Monday, but had not elaborated.
Erdoğan met with the leaders of Iran and Russia last week in Tehran to discuss Syria, but the summit did not delivera ceasefire pledge for the opposition-held enclave of Idlib.
Turkey is working to achieve a ceasefire in Syria's opposition-held northwest and is ready for cooperation to fight terrorist groups in the Idlib area, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Friday.Speaking at a joint news conference with his Pakistani counterpart, Çavuşoğlu said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the topic of Syria on Monday."Turkey is open to cooperation with everyone regarding efforts to fight terror groups in Syria," said Çavuşoğlu at a joint news conference in Islamabad with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.Video: Idlib locals flee to Turkish-controlled areas for safetyRecalling Turkey's efforts to find a political solution to the ongoing Syrian crisis, he said the efforts to reach a cease-fire in Idlib continue."We will continue our efforts with Iran and Russia... We will continue our efforts in international platforms as well. We have received tremendous support from many countries as well as United Nations and other organizations. Therefore, we should continue our efforts to bring peace and stability to the region," he added.Çavuşoğlu arrived in Islamabad on Thursday on an official visit upon the invitation of the Pakistani foreign minister.He was received by Pakistani President Arif Alvi, and Prime Minister Imran Khan.UN chief says US power in decline, world 'in pieces'The Turkish minister praised "strong" bilateral relations between Turkey and Pakistan, expressing willingness to further enhance cooperation in all areas. "We will devote more efforts to further enhance our solidarity, brotherhood, relations, and cooperation with Pakistan," he said.TradeThe two countries agreed to convene the 6th high level joint working group meeting soon in Islamabad and restart negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries.Qureshi said the two sides have decided to enhance bilateral and economic relations."Our relations are very strong which are based on a strong historic, cultural and regional background and now we would strengthen these relations further," Qureshi said.Video: Turkish, Pakistani Foreign Minister meet in IslamabadBoth side also discussed the current trade volume and termed it unsatisfactory. The trade volume between Turkey and Pakistan was around $650 million by the end of 2017."The current trade volume is not satisfactory and we have decided to remove all hurdles in way of enhancing the trade between both countries," Qureshi said.He thanked Turkey for supporting his country on different international forums especially at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting in February this year in Paris, where the U.S. and the U.K. moved to put Pakistan back on a list of countries which have failed to stem terror financing."Today I have an opportunity to say: 'thank you very much,' to my Turkish counterpart who helped and support us in the FATF meeting," Qureshi said.During the delegation level meeting, Qureshi also briefed Çavuşoğlu about his upcoming visit to Afghanistan."I have briefed the Turkish foreign minister regarding my expected visit to Kabul and we agreed to play our role to bring peace in Afghanistan," he said.US should reconsider its alliances in Syria: Turkish FM
Turkey is working to reach ceasefire in Syria's Idlib: FM
Turkey’s Foreign Minister said early Friday that Washington should reconsider its alliances in Syria as the Assad regime prepares to launch a bloody offensive on northwestern Idlib province.In a letter to The New York Times titled 'A Looming Disaster in Syria', Mevlut Cavuşoğlu warned that the YPG terrorist group has struck an alliance with Bashar al-Assad and is sending troops to help him recapture Idlib from the rebels.“The alliance has grown deeper since senior leaders of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces, spearheaded by the YPG, held formal talks with the Syrian regime to carve out a place for themselves in the new Syria,” he said."Having YPG forces operating from Syria, just miles from the border of Turkey, is untenable. It’s time for Washington to assess who its real allies in the region are."Located near the Turkish border, Idlib province is home to more than 3 million Syrians, many of whom fled from other cities following attacks by regime forces.The Syrian regime recently announced plans to launch a major military offensive in Idlib, which has long been controlled by various armed opposition groups.As a result, Turkey has been reinforcing its military presence on the border with Syria.The UN has warned that such an offensive would lead to the "worst humanitarian catastrophe in the 21st century".Cavusoglu also emphasized in the letter that the YPG is the Syrian affiliate of the PKK, which has led a violent terror campaign in Turkey for more than 30 years and that Turkey, the U.S. and the EU have listed the PKK as a terrorist organization.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people.US appoints ‘PKK commander’ to spearhead attacks against Syrian opposition in IdlibGerman, Russian foreign ministers to discuss SyriaTurkish FM meets Chinese envoy, Iraqi Turkmen leaderTurkey's UN envoy demands immediate cease-fire in IdlibLet’s stop the civil war in Syria’s Idlib: Turkish FM
US should reconsider its alliances in Syria: Turkish FM