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Erdogan says he would like to hold telephone talks with Putin after visit to US

The Turkish president said that the US "has failed to comply with all of the achieved agreements on creating a security zone" in Syria

ANKARA, November 12. /TASS/. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he would like to hold telephone talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin after his two-day visit to the United States.

"Neither Russia nor the United States have managed to clear [territories in northeastern Syria] of terrorist organizations within the established deadline. We will discuss this issue [with President Donald] Trump. Upon return [from the United States] we will hold telephone talks with Putin," Erdogan told a news conference at Ankara’s airport before flying to the United States.

Erdogan said that the United States "has failed to comply with all of the achieved agreements on creating a security zone" in Syria.

Erdogan argues that the Kurdish People’s Protection Units have not pulled out of Syria’s cities Manbij, Tell Rifaat, Tell Abyad and Kamisli. He described that as a violation of agreements achieved with the United States and Russia.

On October 9, Ankara launched an operation codenamed Peace Spring in northern Syria with the aim to create a security belt long the Turkish border. On October 22, the Russian and Turkish presidents at a meeting in Sochi adopted a memorandum on joint actions to settle the situation in northeastern Syria. According to the deal Russian military police and Syrian border guards entered areas bordering on Turkey’s 30-kilometer-wide security zone. On October 29, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said the Kurds had completed the pullout of their military units. On November 1 Russian and Turkish military started joint patrols east of the Euphrates.