ANKARA, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to take "concrete steps" against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria, Türkiye's presidential office said in a statement.
Erdogan told Putin in a phone call that "concrete steps should now be taken to eradicate the terrorist organization YPG from Türkiye's border regions, especially from Tal Rifaat and Manbij" in northern Syria, the statement said.
Erdogan has repeatedly vowed to launch a ground operation into northern Syria "at the most convenient time" to build a security zone.
Ankara considers the YPG as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has rebelled against the Turkish government for over three decades.
The two leaders also discussed a Ukrainian grain export deal and natural gas cooperation, according to the statement.
Türkiye will improve its infrastructure in order to build a natural gas center, Erdogan told Putin, adding that Ankara hoped to complete the roadmap and take concrete steps to implement the plan as soon as possible.
Ankara and Moscow achieved positive results of the negotiations on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, along with the issues of resuming the grain corridor, prisoner exchange, and the safe zone initiatives around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Erdogan said, adding that calls for peace and negotiations should be supported by a unilateral ceasefire and a vision for a fair solution to the Ukrainian conflict.
