Turkey and Russia want cease-fire in Syria: Turkish official

This photo provided by the Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Civil Defense workers carrying a victim on a stretcher after artillery fire struck the Jub al-Quba district in Aleppo, Syria, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016. Syrian activists say at least 21 people have been killed in an artillery barrage on a housing area for those displaced in rebel-held eastern Aleppo. (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP) This photo provided by the Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Civil Defense workers carrying a victim on a stretcher after artillery fire struck the Jub al-Quba district in Aleppo, Syria, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016. Syrian activists say at least 21 people have been killed in an artillery barrage on a housing area for those displaced in rebel-held eastern Aleppo. (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP)

By Associated Press December 1, 2016 3 min read

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday his country and Russia want a cease-fire in Syria, where the two nations support opposing camps in the conflict.

Speaking alongside his Russian counterpart in a Turkish resort town, Sergey Lavrov, Cavusoglu said, “We are in agreement that a cease-fire is needed so that the tragedy can come to an end.”

Ankara and Moscow have long been at odds over the conflict in Syria, where Russia backs President Bashar Assad and Turkey supports rebel factions fighting to topple the Syrian leader.

The conflict has played out tragically in the divided city of Aleppo, where tens of thousands, mostly women and children, have been displaced from their homes in rebel-held areas since Saturday.

Cavusoglu said a cease-fire was needed in all of Syria but especially in Aleppo, where multiple temporary truces have fallen apart, in order for humanitarian aid to be delivered.