Erdoğan, Merkel discuss developments in Syria over phone
ISTANBUL
![Erdoğan, Merkel discuss developments in Syria over phone](http://image.hurimg.com/i/hurriyet/75/0x0/59c9a9e845d2a027e83de4cb.jpg)
AP photo
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sept. 29, in which the leaders mainly discussed the deteriorating situation around Syria’s biggest city, Aleppo.The two leaders talked about the recent developments in war-torn Syria. During the conversation, Erdoğan also informed Merkel about Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Shield, currently ongoing in northern Syria to secure Turkey from threats posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).