Amid Turkish offensive in Syria, Erdogan dials Putin, accepts invite to visit Russia

In a significant development amid Ankara's ongoing military incursions in Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a telephonic conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and accepted the latter's invite to visit Russia.

The two leaders also discussed the situation in Syria while agreeing to avoid clashes between Turkish and Syrian Armed Forces.

"The presidents of Russia and Turkey reaffirmed their commitment to continuing the process of political settlement in Syria and expressed their intention to facilitate the convening of the Syrian Constitutional Committee under the auspices of the United Nations at the end of October in Geneva," the Kremlin Press Service said in a statement, according to Sputnik.

"The Russian president drew attention to the aggravation of the humanitarian situation in areas along the Syrian-Turkish border. The head of the Russian state also considers it unacceptable that members of terrorist organisations, including Daesh (ISIS), which are now guarded by Kurdish militia, take advantage of the current situation," the statement added.

The telephonic conversation, which was initiated by the Turkish side, holds significance coming in the wake of international condemnation of Ankara's military incursions into Syria with several countries suspending arms export to Turkey over the issue.