Turkey's Erdogan asks France, Germany to help end Syrian humanitarian crisis

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan asked the French and German leaders to provide "concrete" support in ending a humanitarian crisis in northwest Syria's Idlib region, the Turkish presidency said on Friday, amid escalating tensions in the region.

In a phone call, Erdogan said that attacks in Idlib, where a Russian-led Syrian government offensive has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and brought Ankara, Moscow, and Damascus to the brink of confrontation, must be stopped.

On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Russian President Vladimir Putin to express their concern about the humanitarian situation in Idlib, urging an end to the conflict there, a German spokesman said.