Turkey, Iraq hold high-level talks over Syria

ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone on Tuesday with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Sudani about renewed conflict in their joint neighbour Syria, with Erdogan stressing the need to prevent unrest on Turkey's border, his office said.

"Mr Erdogan declared Turkey's priority is to maintain peace on its borders" as well as "the unity, stability and territorial integrity of Syria", where last week a rebel coalition went on the offensive, breaking a years-long stalemate in Syria's civil war.

Erdogan's office said he had "urged the Syrian regime to engage in a real political process to avoid the situation deteriorating".

Turkey's head of state also warned "he had taken and would take measures to prevent the PKK [Kurdistan Workers' Party] and its extensions from taking advantage of developments" in northern Syria, home to numerous Kurdish fighters.

Hayat Tahrir Al Sham and other rebel groups have seized a large swathe of the northern city of Aleppo in recent days, and are now advancing towards the central city of Hama.

Iraq, which has assured Damascus of its support, sent armoured vehicles on Monday to bolster security on its 600-kilometre) long border with Syria.

The resumption of hostilities in Syria's civil war has intensified diplomatic manoeuvres in the region.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi notably held talks in Ankara on Monday with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, a day after visiting Damascus, where he met President Bashar Assad in Damascus.