YEREVAN, October 12. /TASS/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks by phone on Saturday, focusing on developments in north Syria, the Armenian prime minister’s press service said.

"The leaders of two countries discussed the situation in north Syria in a phone call, Pashinyan and Putin exchanged views on regional issues," the press release says.

On October 9, Ankara launched an offensive in north Syria dubbed Operation Peace Spring, which began with airstrikes on Kurdish units. The objective is to establish a safety zone in northern Syria for protection of the Turkish border. In addition, Syrian refugees could return to that area from Turkey, Ankara believes. Syria’s SANA news agency slammed Ankara’s operation as an act of aggression.