Turkish President Urges Syrian Cooperation With Russia, US, Iran

Turkey, Russia, the United States, and Iran must work closely to stop the four-year Syrian civil war, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday.

ANKARA (Sputnik) — The call came after Erdogan’s one-day state trip to Moscow where he attended a grand opening ceremony of one of Europe’s biggest mosques and discussed the Syrian war with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"I did not see any determination in Russia’s stance on the Syrian problem. Our foreign policy ministers will continue working on this issue. It would be worthwhile to work together with Iran and US," Erdogan told journalists.

He added there was no place for Syrian President Bashar Assad at reconciliation talks, despite Russia’s continued calls for closer cooperation with the Syrian government.

Turkey and the United States are allies in a US-led coalition bombing extremist group positions in Syria. The two have pledged air support to so-called moderate rebels should they fight Assad troops on the ground. Russia suggests that a joint effort must be made to take on Islamists.