Erdogan transfers his powers to vice president

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 17

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has transferred his powers to Vice President Fuat Oktay, the message posted in the Turkish "Resmi Gazete" newspaper Sept. 17 says.

Erdogan has transferred presidential powers due to his trip to Russia, during which a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin has been scheduled, the message says.

Earlier it was reported that the presidents of Turkey and Russia will discuss in Sochi the crisis in the Syrian Idlib.

On Sept. 7, the presidents of Turkey, Iran and Russia held a trilateral meeting and discussed the situation in Idlib.

Idlib is one of the de-escalation zones as part of the Astana format. There are about 3 million civilians in Idlib.

On Aug. 24, 2016, units of the Turkish Armed Forces began the Operation Euphrates Shield against the "Islamic State" and with the support of the Syrian opposition liberated the border town of Jarablus in northern Syria, as well as al-Bab.

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