Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that during his talk with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, they confirmed their readiness to work towards the weakening of tension zones in Syria, reported TASS Russian News Agency.

And in Erdoğan’s words, Russia and Turkey support the territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria.

“We are unanimous in the preservation of the territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria,” he said. “The [Iraqi Kurdistan independence] referendum is not lawful.

“Of course, we have also discussed the Iraqi Kurdistan referendum. Russia’s principled stand is known; it is presented in the Russian Foreign Ministry statement.”