Russia, Turkey agree to disagree over Syrian issue

Putin made the remarks on Monday in Istanbul after holding talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"The positions of the Russian Federation and Turkey completely correspond regarding what has to be attained (in Syria), but as of yet no shared approach regarding methods of how to attain it has been reached," Putin told a joint news conference with Erdogan after the talks.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Western states have been calling on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down. However, Russia and China are strongly opposed to the Western drive to oust Assad.

Russia and China have thrice vetoed anti-Damascus resolutions at UN Security Council.

Damascus says outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorists are the driving factor behind the unrest and deadly violence.

    The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country and accuses Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey of arming the opposition.


Sitting beside the Russian president in the Turkish financial capital, Erdogan stated, "Our biggest wish is an immediate halt to the bloodshed and fighting in Syria, and we are taking steps to make sure our foreign ministers are carrying out extensive work with this aim."