Pompeo speaks over phone with Turkish FM over Syria

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke over phone with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday over the situation in northern Syria, said the U.S. State Department on Friday.

Pompeo and his Turkish counterpart discussed the U.S.-Turkish joint statement announced last month, with Pompeo asking the Turkish side to act in accordance with the statement regarding the safe zone, said Morgan Ortagus, the State Department spokesperson, in a statement.

The top U.S. diplomat also stressed the need for all related parties to adhere to the joint statement, Ortagus added.

Washington and Ankara reached an agreement on Oct. 17 over a five-day truce and the establishment of a "safe zone" in northern Syria, where the Turkish forces had been fighting against the Kurdish militia.

On Oct. 22, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin held a meeting in Sochi, Russia, agreeing on the pullout of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) fighters to 30 km south of Turkey's border within 150 hours.

The two sides also agreed to launch joint patrols between Turkish and Russian soldiers 10 km from the Turkish border in an agreed region that excludes the city of Qamishli.