Putin, Erdogan discuss Syrian crisis reconciliation ahead of BRICS summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have discussed “joint steps aimed at resolving the crisis situation in Syria” in a phone conversation, the Kremlin has said, in a statement. The Russian leader also congratulated his Turkish counterpart on his victory in the recent presidential elections, the statement added. Earlier, Ankara said that the two presidents agreed to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in South Africa later this month.