Erdogan: Four-way summit on Syria with Putin, Merkel in the works
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters, in Izmir, Turkey, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020. (Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool)
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UPDATED 3:18 PM PT — Saturday, February 22, 2020
On Saturday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan announced he’ll be meeting with leaders from Russia, Germany and France to discuss the ongoing conflict in Syria. According to Erdogan, the four-way summit will focus on the northwestern province of Idlib and the fighting that has displaced nearly a million people.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron pushed for the end of the conflict in a series of calls made on Friday.
Erdogan previously said he would discuss the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“For us, the matter of Idlib is as important as Afrin and the area of Operation Peace Spring. I expressed our determination clearly to Putin last night. I also mentioned it to Merkel and Macron yesterday. On March 5th, we will meet again and we will talk about these things.” – Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, third left, speaks with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, second left, and French President Emmanuel Macron, right, during an EU summit in Brussels, Friday, Feb. 21, 2020. (Yves Herman, Pool Photo via AP)
Reports have suggested the summit could take place in Istanbul. In the meantime, Turkey has played host to nearly 4 million Syrian refugees and warned it can’t handle the influx of newly displaced citizens.
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