ISTANBUL, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin spoke over the phone on Monday, stressing territorial integrity of both Iraq and Syria, according to Turkish presidential sources.
The two leaders also exchanged views on the Astana process seeking to bring peace to Syria, in which Russia, Turkey and Iran have agreed to create four de-escalation zones in the war-torn country, the sources said.
The two leaders decided to discuss the issues in detail during Putin's visit to Ankara on Thursday, said the sources.
The phone conversation came as Iraqi Kurds are pressing ahead on the day with an independence referendum despite opposition from Turkey, Iran, the United States and the United Nations, sparking concerns about fresh conflicts in the turmoil-hit region, as Ankara and Tehran have both resorted to war games ahead of the vote.
Erdogan has just vowed not to allow a "terror state" to be established along the border with Turkey, threatening punitive measures against the Iraqi Kurdish region within days, including barring it from exporting gas via Turkey.
