Moscow hosts landmark Turkey-Syria rapprochement talks

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s foreign minister is hosting his counterparts from Turkey, Syria and Iran for talks aimed at normalizing Turkish-Syrian relations. The meeting on Wednesday marked the highest-level contact between Turkey and Syria since the start of the Syrian civil war over a decade ago. Russia has spent years trying to help Syrian President Bashar Assad rebuild ties with Turkey and other countries that were fractured in the war, which killed nearly 500,000 people and displaced half of Syria’s prewar population of 23 million. The efforts toward a Turkish-Syrian reconciliation come as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is under intense pressure to send Syrian refugees back to their country. Erdogan is seeking reelection on Sunday.