U.S. President Barack Obama spoke by telephone on Wednesday, May 19 with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan about the war in Syria and efforts to defeat Islamic State militants, the White House said in a statement, according to Reuters.

Obama noted the importance of international cooperation to maintain the cessation of hostilities in Syria and to make progress on a negotiated political transition in the country, the statement said.

The two leaders agreed on the urgency of continued efforts to degrade and defeat Islamic State and to disrupt the militant group's capacity to conduct attacks in Turkey, Europe and elsewhere, the White House said.