Putin briefs Erdoğan on Assad's visit to Moscow

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday regarding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's visit to Moscow Tuesday.

During the conversation with Putin, Erdoğan expressed concern about attacks on the Syrian city of Aleppo and surrounding areas, saying that the attacks could trigger a new wave of refugees, Turkish sources said.

It was reported that in the call, Erdoğan stressed the importance Turkey attaches to fighting the all terrorist groups, including ISIL, YPG and PKK.

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad paid an unannounced visit to Moscow on Tuesday, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.