Erdoğan, Putin to 'Take Decisions to Ease Pressure in Region'

Source and photo: AA

Click to read the article in Turkish

The presidents of Turkey and Russia met today (March 5) in Moscow in the aftermath of an attack in Syria's Idlib which led to the loss of at least 34 soldiers of Turkey.

In his opening remarks in Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin of Russia thanked his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for accepting his invitation for talks on the recent escalation.

"Thank you for coming. There is always something to talk about, but now the situation in a well-known area -- Idlib, has escalated so much that it requires our direct, personal conversation," he said, offering his condolences over the fallen soldiers.

"The loss of life is always a great tragedy. Unfortunately, as I told you on the phone, no one, including the Syrian military, knew about their [Turkey's soldiers] whereabouts," he added, referring to the February 27 attack in Idlib.

CLICK - Russia Says It Didn't Carry Out the Airstrike on Turkey's Soldiers

Putin went on to say that the government forces have suffered great losses in Idlib, the last opposition stronghold in Syria.

"We need to talk about the situation that has developed to date so that nothing like this happens again, and so that it does not destroy the Russian-Turkish relations, which I, and as I know, you too, treat very carefully," he said.

The two presidents are set to discuss the recent developments in Syria, including cease-fire violations in the Idlib de-escalation zone.

Erdoğan praises cooperation with Moscow

Erdoğan said the decisions taken at the meeting will ease tensions in the region and in Turkey.

The two leaders are set to discuss the recent developments in Syria, including cease-fire violations in the Idlib de-escalation zone.

Erdoğan also underlined that cooperation between Ankara and Moscow has "hit the ceiling."

Government forces of Syria have been advancing in the southwest since December, surrounding more than a dozen military posts of Turkey.

In response to an airstrike by Syria that claimed the lives of 34 soldiers in Idlib, Ankara on March 1 launched Operation Spring Shield against the government forces. (DB/VK)