Erdogan calls Putin over Syria, Russian plane crash

By Gokhan Yilmaz, Sefa Mutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin following the tragic Russian plane crash that killed 92 people, presidential sources said Sunday.

Erdogan offered his condolences to Putin over Sunday’s deadly Russian plane crash in the Black Sea, according to sources.

The aircraft was en route to Latakia, Syria to perform in a holiday concert when it crashed, killing all 92 people on board, most of them musicians from Red Army Choir, or Alexandrov Ensemble, as well as nine journalists.

According to sources, the two leaders also discussed the recent developments in the war-torn Syria as well as widening a ceasefire across the country.

Syria has been locked in a devastating civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests – which erupted as part of the Arab Spring uprisings – with unexpected ferocity.

Turkey launched a military operation --Operation Euphrates Shield-- in late Aug. to improve security, support coalition forces, and eliminate the terror threat along Turkey’s border using Free Syrian Army fighters backed by Turkish artillery and jets.