Erdogan calls Putin amid reports of Kurdish-Syrian regime deal

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday to discuss the conflict in Syria where the two sides back warring factions.

Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency said the two leaders agreed on cooperation and coordination in fighting “terrorism.”

They also spoke of a tripartite agreement along with Iran to decrease tensions in Syria’s Idlib Province.

Erdogan’s phone call coincided with reports emerging of a deployment of Syrian regime forces in the besieged Kurdish enclave of Afrin, a region under a month-long offensive by the Turkish military.

Erdogan and Putin discussed Turkey’s “Operation Olive Branch” to capture Afrin, the Turkish agency added without revealing further information.

However, sources speaking to the privately-owned CNN Turk TV said Erdogan threatened the Syrian regime if its army enters Afrin.

“There will be consequences for Syria,” he reportedly told Putin, the Damascus regime’s biggest sponsor.

He vowed that his army would continue that attack on US-backed Kurds.

A deal reached between the US-backed Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Damascus has the potential of stopping the Turkish campaign on Afrin in which Ankara is using anti-regime Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions.

The Kremlin’s press-service, cited by Russia’s official TASS, confirmed Putin and Erdogan had touched on the de-escalation deal in Idlib, and Ankara’s assault on Afrin.

There were no other details provided by the Kremlin regarding the call.

Earlier in the day, Turkey’s Foreign Minister sounded determined to go on with the attempted invasion of Afrin, stating that if the Syrian army were to move into the region to protect the YPG, it wouldn’t be able to stop the Turkish army.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany