Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan have discussed the issue of aid delivery to the war-ravaged northwestern Syrian city of Aleppo.

At a joint news conference after a meeting in Istanbul on Monday, Putin said he and President Erdogan agreed on the importance of delivering aid to the Syrians in Aleppo.
"We have a common position that everything must be done to deliver humanitarian aid to Aleppo. The only issue is ... ensuring the safety of aid delivery," Putin said.
President Erdogan, for his part, also said he had discussed the conflict in Syria with Russian counterpart and the need to cooperate on the provision of aid to Aleppo.

Erdogan said he was confident that a normalization in ties with Russia, strained after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet last year, would be fast.

The developments come as Syrian army has put foreign-backed militants under siege in Aleppo and now hopes to capture the whole city in what would be a devastating blow to the country's enemies.

Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city has been divided since 2012 between government forces in the west and foreign-backed terrorists in the east, making it a frontline battleground.

Syrian soldiers patrol an area in eastern Aleppo, October 8, 2016. (Photo by AFP)Through Russia’s military support, Syria has managed to retake key areas from militants across the country, especially in the north, where a fierce battle is currently going on to recapture the militant-held areas of the city of Aleppo.

Meanwhile, Turkey and other countries opposed to the Syrian government have intensified their parleys, putting forth a proposal through the "opposition" which they support, for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down.

On Sunday, Russia vetoed a French-drafted UNSC resolution calling for the immediate halting of anti-terror airstrikes in Aleppo.

Moscow vetoed the draft on Sunday, stressing that it did not sufficiently address the problem of militants being interwoven with Jabhat Fateh al-Sham terrorists (formerly known as the al-Nusra Front).

A separate resolution, initially proposed by UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura and presented by Russia, was also rejected by the council. It called for the Syrian government to allow the departure of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham forces from eastern Aleppo.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy over the past five and a half years, which has claimed the lives of around 400,000 people.In recent months, the Takfiri militants have suffered major setbacks as the Syrian army has managed to liberate several areas.

By Press TV