(Bloomberg) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for an immediate end to Turkey's military operation in northern Syria during a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Merkel told Erdogan that, regardless of justified Turkish security interests, the incursion risks displacing a large part of the local population, destabilizing the region and leading to a resurgence of Islamic State, German government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said in a statement. The call was made at Erdogan's request, she said.
The two leaders also discussed Turkish gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean, according to the statement, which didn't elaborate.
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To contact the reporter on this story: Tony Czuczka in New York at aczuczka@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Ludden at jludden@bloomberg.net
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