Russia has backed Syrian President Bashar Assad, while Turkey has supported his foes. The two nations managed to mend the rift and, together with Iran, struck a deal earlier this year to create de-escalation zones that helped reduce fighting in Syria. Putin’s discussions with Erdogan followed a weekend statement on Syria approved by Putin and President Donald Trump on the sidelines of an APEC summit in Vietnam. Erdogan also emphasized Monday that Turkey is paying special attention to military co-operation with Russia. Turkey has signed a contract to buy Russia’s most advanced air defence missile system, the S-400, creating concern among some of Turkey’s NATO allies.

Source: National Post November 13, 2017 15:22 UTC