Nazli Yuzbasioglu
01 March 2020•Update: 01 March 2020
ANKARA
Turkish foreign minister in a phone call with his Russian counterpart discussed the upcoming meeting between the presidents of two countries, according to diplomatic sources on Sunday.
Mevlut Cavusoglu and Sergey Lavrov discussed the agenda of the forthcoming meeting between the two leaders, the sources told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
On Saturday, Cavusoglu had told reporters that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will meet at the beginning of March.
Turkey's Communications Director Fahrettin Altun on Friday also said that Erdogan and Putin in their phone conversation agreed to meet face to face soon.
Discussions on Idlib, Syria de-escalation zone, just across Turkey’s southern border, are expected to be the main course of talks between the two leaders, as at least 34 Turkish soldiers were martyred and tens of others injured in a deadly airstrike by the Bashar al-Assad regime forces in Idlib late Thursday.
The Turkish soldiers are working to protect local civilians under a September 2018 deal with Russia under which acts of aggression are prohibited in the region.
But more than 1,300 civilians have been killed in attacks by Assad and Russian forces in the zone since then, as the cease-fire continues to be violated.
Thursday’s attack was one of a series since January on Turkish troops, with Turkish officials keeping their pledge that such assaults would not go unanswered.
On Sunday, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar announced his country has launched Operation Spring Shield in Idlib in response to the recent regime attack on Turkish troops in the region.
* Writing and contribution by Jeyhun Aliyev
