Turkey, Russia hold Syria-focused talks

ANKARA

Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioğlu. AA Photo

Officials from Turkey and Russia met in Ankara on Oct. 9 to discuss developments in the Middle East, as the region continues to be rocked by the growing threat posed by extremist jihadists.

Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioğlu and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov came together on Thursday in Ankara, the ministry said in a written statement. The two officials discussed developments in Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Yemen and Libya, it added.

The meeting comes soon after Russia urged Turkey that establishing security zones or no-fly zones in Syria requires the consent of the U.N. Security Council.

The two countries have totally different views on Syria, as Moscow remains one of the staunchest supporters of the Bashar al-Assad regime, despite the fact that around 200,000 people have been killed in the country’s civil war over the last three years.