Russia engaged in ‘thoughtful’ Syria discussions with Turkey

Russia says it has begun “thoughtful” work on Syria with Turkey despite having substantial disagreements over the issue.

“We have started to work in detail and thoughtfully on the Syrian issue with the Turkish side. We consider this work to be constructive and positive,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova at a press conference in Moscow on Thursday.

Zakharova also said that Moscow assesses the discussions “to be productive and promising.”

On August 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin also expressed hope that the two countries’ differences over the crisis in Syria would be resolved. “I think it is possible to align our views and approaches,” Putin said at a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Moscow.