Türkiye's Erdogan Discusses Syria Situation with Putin by Phone, Ankara Says

 Syrian opposition fighters ride on motorcycles through abandoned Syrian army vehicles on a road in the outskirts of Hama, Syria, Tuesday Dec. 3, 2024.(AP)
Syrian opposition fighters ride on motorcycles through abandoned Syrian army vehicles on a road in the outskirts of Hama, Syria, Tuesday Dec. 3, 2024.(AP)
TT

Türkiye's Erdogan Discusses Syria Situation with Putin by Phone, Ankara Says

 Syrian opposition fighters ride on motorcycles through abandoned Syrian army vehicles on a road in the outskirts of Hama, Syria, Tuesday Dec. 3, 2024.(AP)
Syrian opposition fighters ride on motorcycles through abandoned Syrian army vehicles on a road in the outskirts of Hama, Syria, Tuesday Dec. 3, 2024.(AP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the renewed outbreak of conflict in Syria with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone, Erdogan's office said in a post on X on Tuesday.

Erdogan and Putin spoke as Syrian opposition forces advancing against government troops pushed close on Tuesday to the major city of Hama, fighters and a war monitor said, after their sudden capture of Aleppo last week rocked President Bashar al-Assad.

Erdogan told Putin that Türkiye supports Syria's territorial integrity and strives for a just and lasting solution in Syria, the statement said.

"President Erdogan highlighted the importance of making more room for diplomacy in the region, and underscored that the Syrian regime should engage in the political solution process," it said. Erdogan also said that Syria should not become a source of greater instability.

"Erdogan stated that Türkiye will continue to maintain its determined stance on the fight against the terrorist organization PKK and its extensions who are trying to take advantage of the recent developments in Syria," the statement said.



Morocco Foils 78,685 Migrant Attempts to Reach Europe in 2024

Migrants board an Italian Coast Guard vessel as part of a transfer operation from the asylum processing centers in Albania back to Italy following a court decision in Rome, at the port of Shengjin, northwestern Albania, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)
Migrants board an Italian Coast Guard vessel as part of a transfer operation from the asylum processing centers in Albania back to Italy following a court decision in Rome, at the port of Shengjin, northwestern Albania, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)
TT

Morocco Foils 78,685 Migrant Attempts to Reach Europe in 2024

Migrants board an Italian Coast Guard vessel as part of a transfer operation from the asylum processing centers in Albania back to Italy following a court decision in Rome, at the port of Shengjin, northwestern Albania, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)
Migrants board an Italian Coast Guard vessel as part of a transfer operation from the asylum processing centers in Albania back to Italy following a court decision in Rome, at the port of Shengjin, northwestern Albania, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)

Morocco stopped 78,685 migrants from illegally crossing into European Union territory in 2024, up 4.6% from a year earlier, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday.
The figures highlight "growing migratory pressure in an unstable regional environment", the ministry said in response to questions emailed by Reuters.
Among the migrants, 58% were from West Africa, 12% from North Africa where Morocco is located, and 9% from East and Central Africa, it said.
Years of armed conflict across Africa's Sahel region, unemployment and the impact of climate change on farming communities are among the reasons driving migrants towards Europe.
Morocco and neighboring EU member Spain have strengthened cooperation against undocumented migration.
Last year, there were 14 group attempts to cross into the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, compared with six in 2023, the ministry said.
Moroccan authorities rescued 18,645 would-be migrants from unseaworthy boats in 2024, up 10.8% from 2023, it said.
Last month as many as 50 migrants may have drowned in the latest deadly wreck involving people trying to make the Atlantic crossing from West Africa to Spain's Canary Islands, a migrant rights group said.