Turkey urges Russia to stop military operation in Syria

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has called on Russia to stop airstrikes against the Syrian opposition and civilians and to focus its efforts on the fight against Islamic State. It released the statement jointly with six countries (US, UK, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Qatar), Reuters agency reports.

The statement says that Russia's actions may lead to the further escalation and give grounds for extremism in Syria. They expressed "deep concern" regarding the Russian military presence in Syria, "especially about the attacks of the Russian Air Force in the regions of Hama, Homs, and Idlib that led to casualties among civilians and did not strike Islamic State targets."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry stressed that "Russia takes full responsibility for our targets."