After meeting with Turkish officials in a two-day visit to show solidarity with Turkey from Sept. 25-27 over a month after the failed July 15 coup attempt, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson met with representatives of the Syrian opposition.

The U.K. Foreign Ministry released a joint statement with the foreign ministers of France, Italy, Germany, the U.S. and the High Representative of the EU on Sunday urging leaders to "create the conditions necessary for the resumption of U.N.-led talks about a political transition."

In a tweet on his Twitter account, Johnson emphasized that Turkey is a vital partner for the U.K., adding that he was "pleased" to visit Turkey for the first time as foreign minister for talks with the Turkish government, civil society groups and the Syrian opposition.

The U.K. foreign minister also urged Russia to stop "abetting" the Assad regime in a tweet on his personal Twitter account, describing the recent bombing in Aleppo as "unimaginable cruelty."

He further told the BBC on Sunday that Russia was "guilty of protracting" the war in Syria and of "making it far more hideous." As the U.K. and Turkey hold similar positions on the Syrian crisis, despite changes to the U.K. administration, the country's special representative for Syria, Gareth Bayley, told Daily Sabah previously that the U.K. and Turkey, in different ways, are the greatest friends to the Syrian people.

Explaining that the U.K. is in favor of maintaining Syria's unity, Bayley also said previously that he "believes Russia is far less concerned about Assad if Assad fails to protect Russian interests and stability in the country. Iran does see Assad as a symbol of its stability and yet it is Russia that is essentially dictating the military situation on the ground."

Former U.K. Foreign Minister Philip Hammond had also said Turkey and the U.K. had been working together to prevent foreign fighters from traveling to Syria, adding that both sides would continue their "excellent" cooperation between police and security forces. In the aforementioned joint statement, the U.K. urged "immediate, expanded humanitarian access to all areas of Syria, including those on the priority list of the U.N.," further calling on the "U.N. Security Council to take urgent further steps to address the brutality of this conflict and particularly the assault on Aleppo."

Bilateral relations between Turkey and the U.K. date back centuries as the two countries have the longest standing diplomatic relations with a history marked by periods of friendly relations, confrontation and war in various alliances prior to the foundation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923.