Erdogan, Obama discuss Gezi Park and Syria over phone

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Barack Obama held a phone conversation Monday evening discussing the Syria crisis and Gezi Park incidents.

"The President and Prime Minister discussed developments in Syria, including the regime's use of chemical weapons against its own people, their shared commitment to pursuing a political solution, the need to provide additional support to the Syrian Coalition and the Supreme Military Council to improve their effectiveness, and the importance of close bilateral cooperation on contingency planning and counterterrorism efforts," said Turkish Prime Ministry in a statement. 

Syria on the agenda of G8 and preparations of the Second Geneva Conference were also reported to be discussed.

Also touching on Gezi Park protests, Erdogan described the situation in Turkey and the two leaders discussed the importance of nonviolence and of the rights to free expression and assembly and a free press, the statement said.

Adapted from Anadolu