UN envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi arrived in Istanbul on Saturday for talks with Turkish officials over the last developments of the current crisis in Syria.

UN envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi arrived in Istanbul on Saturday for talks with Turkish officials over the last developments of the current crisis in Syria.

Tensions between Ankara and Damascus rose after Turkish fighter jets intercepted a Syrian passenger plane heading from Moscow. Turkey said it has suspected the aircraft was carrying arms, a claim denied by both Syria and Russia.
The veteran Algerian diplomat will listen to the Turkish side of the story for the crisis which escalated after five civilians were killed in the border region.

The 78-year-old is likely to meet Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Istanbul but no concrete agenda has been set for the meeting. This is Brahimi's second visit to Turkey.

Brahimi's stopover in Turkey follows his visit to Saudi Arabia where he held talks with top officials over the Syrian crisis.
On October 4 Syria bombarded the Turkish border town of Akcakale, killing five people and wounding at least 13 others. Ankara hit back, as it repeatedly raided several Syrian positions near the Turkish border. A day later the Turkish cabinet approved military operations in the Syrian territories.

Relations between Turkey and Syria were already strained over Ankara’s involvement in the Syrian crisis. Damascus has repeatedly accused Ankara of arming opposition militant groups who have turn to commit crimes against civilians in the Syrian territories.