Putin, Macron agree to intensify efforts to advance political process in Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron agreed to intensify joint efforts to advance the political process in Syria in a phone conversation, the Kremlin said Saturday.

The two leaders believe that these efforts should include the formation of a constitutional committee in Syria, according to the Kremlin, Xinhua reported.

The phone call at the initiative of the French side took place ahead of a summit between Putin, Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday in Turkey's Istanbul on the topic of the Syrian settlement.