Russia and Turkey agreed to coordinate ground operations in Syria after the U.S. pullout, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following the talks between top Russian and Turkish officials.
"In the development of the agreements that were reached between our presidents, we considered further steps to implement the tasks that were set in the Astana format, primarily in the context of combating terrorism, resolving humanitarian issues, and creating conditions for the return of refugees," Lavrov said.
Russia's top diplomat stressed that both countries had "paid special heed to the new circumstances" following the announcement of the U.S. troop withdrawal.
"Both sides stressed that all this work would be carried out in strict compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254, including unconditional respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria", Sputnik cited Lavrov as saying.
