Erdogan, Macron, Merkel, Johnson discuss Syria's Idlib, refugees, coronavirus

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a video conference with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson late Tuesday (March 17). According to a statement from the Presidency, the leaders discussed the Syrian crisis, Idlib, the influx of refugees and the coronavirus threat.

The video conference was chosen as the medium of communication due to the threat of coronavirus. The summit would have been held in Istanbul, if not for the pandemic.

The statement said that the four leaders discussed possible solutions for the crisis in Syria, possible ways to send humanitarian relief to the war-ravaged country’s northwestern Idlib province, the ongoing refugee movement towards Europe and possibilities for quadrilateral cooperation against the spread of the COVID-19.

The Presidency also said in the statement that the leaders further discussed the ongoing war in Libya, the state of Turkey - European Union relations and the current situation in Europe.

“We found opportunity to extensively evaluate many topics ranging from fight against coronavirus and the humanitarian situation in Idlib, to solutions to Syria crisis, matter of asylum seekers and Turkey-EU relations at the summit,” Erdogan said on Twitter following the summit.

"In this difficult process that we pass through at the regional and global level, we will operate diplomacy and cooperation mechanisms more actively, and we will resolutely continue our efforts to resolve problems as soon as possible,” he added.

Based on DS