12 August,2016 07:30 AM IST | | Agencies
A delegation urged that they should work together to defeat ‘common enemy’ in Syria
Recep Tayyip Erdogan had met President Vladimir Putin in Russia
Istanbul: Turkey yesterday called on Russia to carry out joint operations against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, after crucial talks between President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan aimed at ending the crisis.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan had met President Vladimir Putin in Russia
The comments by Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu came as a Turkish delegation was in Russia for talks aimed at coordinating actions on Syria and other bilateral issues. "We have always called on Russia to carry out anti-Daesh (IS) operations together," Cavusoglu said in a live interview, adding that the proposal was still "on the table". Cavusoglu urged Russia to fight against the "common enemy" of IS jihadists in Syria.
"Let's fight against the terrorist group together, so that we can clear it out," the minister said, warning otherwise that it would keep on spreading into other countries.
Erdogan visited Saint Petersburg on Tuesday - his first trip abroad since the July 15 coup attempt. It was also his first direct meeting with Putin since the shooting-down of a Russian fighter jet by Turkish air forces on the Syrian border in November that caused unprecedented damage to relations.
The three-person Turkish delegation in Moscow is tasked with implementing decisions made at Tuesday's summit, Cavusoglu said.
