Russian President Vladimir Putin invited his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to discuss the need to prevent armed clashes between Turkey and the Syrian regime, the Kremlin said in a statement late Tuesday.
According to the statement, in a phone call with Erdoğan, Putin invited the Turkish leader for a working visit in the coming days. Turkish Presidency later confirmed that the President is due in Sochi on October 22.
The two also discussed Operation Peace Spring's contribution to Syrian territorial integrity, and the political solution process.
Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring, the third in a series of cross-border anti-terror operations in northern Syria targeting terrorists affiliated with Daesh and the PKK's Syrian offshoot the YPG, on Oct. 9 at 4 p.m.
The operation, conducted in line with the country's right to self-defense borne out of international law and U.N. Security Council resolutions, aims to establish a terror-free safe zone for Syrians return in the area east of the Euphrates River controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is dominated by YPG terrorists.
The PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union — has waged a terror campaign against Turkey for more than 30 years, resulting in the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
