Erdogan Urges Putin To Keep Syria Aid Flowing

Istanbul, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Jul, 2022 ) :Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to agree on a solution with Western powers that could keep humanitarian aid flowing into Syria.

Erdogan's appeal came as diplomats at the United Nations scrambled to find a solution to preserve a system that has allowed aid to reach the war-ravaged country via Turkey since 2014.

"Erdogan emphasised that he attaches importance to the extension of the cross-border mechanism in Syria," his office said in a statement issued after telephone talks following the expiry Sunday of the mechanism.

The Kremlin made no mention of the Syria crossing in its readout of the call.

But it said the two leaders discussed preparations for a summit to be held "in the near future".

Erdogan has been offering to meet Putin for months in a bid to help resolve global tensions that have reached historic highs since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Turkish-Syria border at the Bab al-Hawa crossing is the only way UN assistance can reach civilians without navigating areas controlled by Syrian government forces.

Russia used its veto power on the UN Security Council to strike down a Western proposal to keep the border crossing open for another year.

Western powers are resisting a Russian counter offer to extend the mechanism for only six more months -- with the possibility of renewal in January.

The Security Council has previously issued extensions after the mechanism had already expired.