France to work with Turkey on Syria 'road map'

France and Turkey will work together in the coming weeks on a "diplomatic road map" to end the seven-year war in Syria, President Emmanuel Macron's office said on Sunday.

The announcement came after Macron spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by telephone on Saturday to discuss Turkey's military operation against Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia in Syria.

Turkish officials were incensed last week after Macron said in a newspaper interview that France would have a "real problem" with the campaign in Syria's Afrin if it turned out to be an "invasion operation".

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Saturday that Erdogan had sought to reassure Macron during their talk, saying Ankara had no eye on Syrian territory.

"The two presidents agreed to work on a diplomatic road map for Syria in the coming weeks," the Elysee Palace said.

"To that end, discussions between France and Turkey, which both hope for a political solution overseen by the UN, will increase in the coming days."

On 20 January Turkey launched its "Olive Branch" operation in northern Syria against the YPG, which it brands a terror group.

On Sunday it said it could expand the incursion beyond the north-western enclave of Afrin, to the town of Manbij and possibly east of the Euphrates River.

Turkey's Western allies do not classify the YPG as a terror group and have worked closely with its fighters in the battle against Islamic State (IS) militants.

Erdogan has sought to build a strong relationship with Macron despite rocky ties with the EU, visiting Paris in January for talks.