Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed the ongoing civil war in Syria over the phone on Oct. 28, according to a Turkish presidential source.

The visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Athens was announced by Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias at a press conference to the Greek diplomatic editors.

The U.S. mission in Turkey and subsequently the Turkish mission in Washington mutually scaled back visa services after a U.S. consulate employee was arrested in Turkey, in the latest sign of fraying diplomatic relations between the NATO allies.